Depression in teens is a lot more common than many people would think. According to teenhelp.com, on average, 20 percent of teens will experience depression before adulthood.

Many people do not realize that depression is not a choice.

Sometimes it is caused by a person’s surroundings, other times there is a chemical imbalance which causes them to be chronically depressed.

Causes of Depression:

Genetics

Environment

Chemical imbalances

Trauma

Difficult relationships

Stress

Symptoms of Depression:

Persistent sad/anxious feelings

Pessimism

Guilt

Irritability

Restlessness

Changes in appetite

Changes in sleep

Fatigue

Loss of interest in activities

Forms of Depression:

Major Depression — This is a very severe case that affects a person’s ability to enjoy life. This form usually only lasts for a short period of time but can hit people more than once in their lifetimes.

Persistent Depressive Disorder — This type of depression lasts for a period of time longer than two years. During those two years, people can have more severe periods and more mild periods of depression.

Psychotic Depression — This type of depression is caused by a break with reality.

Postpartum Depression — It is found in women after giving birth.

Seasonal Affective Disorder — This occurs in people during winter when there is less sunlight.

Bipolar Disorder — This is when a person goes from being extremely happy one day to extremely sad the next.

Treating Depression:

Depression can be treated with antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy, or by seeing a therapist.

However, the first step toward helping people can be simply talking to them.

Most people who feel depressed are lonely. If you notice that someone is depressed, let them know that you are there, listen to them, get them involved in some form of activity, and let them know that things will get better.

People who think that depression is not serious need to put themselves in a depressed person’s shoes.

They feel hopeless and alone. They feel like nobody cares and that maybe the world would be better off without them.

People may seem happy on the outside, but in truth they could be extremely unhappy.

The awful truth is that sometimes there may be no specific reason for people to be depressed.

If you or someone you know is depressed, then they need to get help, whether it is from family and friends, or a therapist. Someone has to be there to listen and tell them that they matter and things are not all that bad; there is good in the world.

If all else fails and you feel like you have to take your own life just to be away from the depression, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number at 1-800-273-8255.

I want you to know that if you are depressed because of high school drama, high school does not last forever.

If you are depressed because you lost a loved one, then grief will get better. Over time, grief gets easier to deal with and it becomes a smaller part of your day.

If you are depressed because of stress, nothing is important enough to be that sad about, trust me.

And, last of all, there are people that do care about you. Things will get better.

Some of the information in this article was found on the National Institute of Mental Health’s website.