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Really if you think about the fact that a million people live in New York alone, then two million isn't such a bad number. But even so, it's not cool that so many children are struggling through their teenage years. A struggle which lends to being depressed (much different than being sad or moody).

"More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.

On average, 8.5 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 described having had a major depressive episode in the previous year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported.

But there were "striking differences" by sex, with 12.7 percent of girls and 4.6 percent of boys affected."

I wonder if this is because more girls vocalize their depression while more boys would be apt to remain silent and miserable. I think this is probably because boys aren't supposed to be "emotional" creatures and many adults claim depression is something you should just be able to snap out of, so boys should get over it? I hope this is not the case, but unfortunately it probably is...

And don't think these kids don't know what depression is all about either. According to the report, "They defined a major depressive episode as two weeks or longer of depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, and at least four other symptoms such as problems with sleep, energy, concentration or self-image." Sounds spot on to me.

Having struggled with depression throughout high school I know how hard it can be to come to terms with feeling that way. I still am being treated for my depression and even after coping for over a decade, there are times when I very much just want to jump off a bridge. Of course I am able to cope after having learned coping mechanisms which work, but it took a lot of time and support.

And so, I urge everyone to be sure they are aware of the teenagers in their life. Notice their moods, may attention to how they interact with others and be sure to be as supportive of their feelings as possible. Early intervention is extremely important.

SOURCE

Labels: depression, teens

Some people sit down to read the morning paper and others, like me, sit down to read their RSS feeds. =o)

This morning the headline which caught my attention before all others was, "Diagnosis: ADHD-or Is It Trauma?" and it was written by Maia Szalavitz for MSN Health & Fitness.

It piqued my interest because I firmly believe children are more often inaccurately diagnosed with ADD or ADHD than they are accurately diagnosed. And putting your child on drugs to calm them down is not going to teach them how to cope and be calm on their own. Especially if your child truly does not have ADD or ADHD. Right? (Now, I'd like to note I do believe some people probably do need medicine for this and that is fine, I have no qualms with it. What I argue is diagnosing a child, because children are supposed to run around and have short attention spans it is how they develop and learn.)

In this article an adoptive Mom discusses how her child was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7 and she hesitated to have him further evaluated or to give him medicine, because, "She knew that Dylan had been starved and neglected by his cocaine-addicted mother." Her argument was that due to the trauma in his early life, he was behaving inattentive and hyperactive.

"Though we tend to think of traumatic experiences as rare, in fact, by age 16, seven of 10 children have been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event-such as a natural disaster, severe car accident, child abuse or the loss of close family member-according to a study of a representative sample of more than 1,400 children living in North Carolina published in 2007."

I can attest to this being true. By the age of 16 there are more than a handful of traumatic events in the timeline of my life. To this day my Mom says they should make a Lifetime made for TV movie about my life.

In fact, I have very early memories of traumatic events and can describe everything right down to the amount of light, the smell and the textures in certain memories of mine. If only my long term memory were as bad as my short term memory these days. =o)

How do you handle a child who has been molded early on in their life by experiences which were far less than stellar? I honestly am not sure if it is possible. I spent a year of my recent life trying to sort things out with a psychiatrist. While medicine certainly took the edge off my extreme emotions; it can't make the reasons go away.

The article at one point discusses some of what this adopted child had witnessed before the age of 7.

"Dylan had seen his mother use drugs and had witnessed a stabbing. In response, his developing brain-in an effort to protect himself-would have tried to predict which adult moods were most likely to erupt in violence."

"These children are hypervigilant because they are looking for dangers or threats," says Frank Putnam, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. "They become exquisitely attuned to sights, sounds and especially facial expressions or tones of voice that might be linked with impending trouble."

"Hypervigilance can look like hyperactivity or inattentiveness in school because these children are paying attention to "distractions" like the teacher's face or another child's movements, not their schoolwork. A slammed door might prompt them to jump from their seats—and cause a "fight or flight" response that might seem aggressive or defiant."

How do you break a cycle like this? Can time, patience, love and understanding really get through? I'm not so sure. I hate to sound like doom and gloom, but once your brain as been molded and developed with those acute responses, how do you change it?

I often find myself saying "well in my world" when I'm talking about life. How selfish it must seem to outsiders to hear me say something like that. But the truth of the matter is there is a "my world" my own internal world; it does exist. And no, you're not invited. Why would you want to enter? I'm still trying to find a way to keep the doors nailed shut.

Labels: ADHD, children, depression, mental health, trauma

Suicide was the third-leading cause of death in the 10-24 age group, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ran a study in 2004 and the results just now are being reported. It is the biggest rise in suicides in 15 years.

Director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told reporters, "We don't yet know if this is a short-lived increase or if it's the beginning of a trend."

You know, I wish results like this were reported in a more timely manner. If it is related to a certain drug on the market (which it very well could be) it's probably something they should look into a little quicker.

Labels: depression, mental health, suicide

There are so many kids and teenagers I know who are unable to cope with their emotions whether it is love, anger, depression and sometimes even happiness. They react dramatically or without much reason and it is because they just don't know how else to release the feelings.

Kick Out Stress provides teens with ways to relieve their stress and/or depression. When it comes to treating teenage depression I really believe you need to try whatever it takes until you are able to reach the person and help them to overcome the darkness. I have been struggling with depression since I was a teenager. So I struggled with anxiety, eating disorders, depression and the feeling of loneliness. Unfortunately, no one really helped me until I decided to go see a therapist when I was in college.

It's not easy to face children and teenagers when they are at their lowest. You feel helpless, they feel helpless and the situation can spiral quickly.

No one is immune to feeling stress; no matter their age. A lot of what has gone wrong in their lives wasn't in either your or their control. Kick Out Stress can give your teen a stronger sense of control.

Disclosure:
This post has been sponsored.

Labels: depression, stress, teens