What is Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)?
Depression is a real medical condition with real biological causes.
Depression can change the way people feel, think, and behave–and prevent them
from enjoying life. However, the good news is that depression is treatable.
Although there is no single cause of depression, it is believed that an imbalance
of natural chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, can exist in people
with depression. For example, low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin are often
associated with depression.
How might depression affect your teenager?
Depression is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person's
ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once-pleasurable activities. Depression
is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally. An episode of depression
may occur only once in a person's lifetime, but more often, it recurs.
What causes Depression?
Certain factors that can cause or trigger depression in adolescents include
- A fight with a friend or breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend
- Difficult
situations at home, such as a recent move, divorce, or fighting
- Problems at school
- Hormonal changes that occur during adolescence
- Abuse of alcohol or other drugs
Useful Tools
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