Recently I was fortunate enough to speak for a group of High-school students and their youth leaders on the topic of Depression and Suicide. This is such an important issue that is all around us right now, it can be an overwhelming amount of information to ingest so as promised, I have uploaded some of that information here, also take a look at my Resources page for books that are helpful when dealing with Depression.
Some recent statistics on Teens and Depression/Suicide:
- As of 2015, 3 Million Teens in U.S. (12-17) had at least one Major Depressive Episode.
- Currently Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15-29 yr olds.
- Biggest link to Depression/Suicide/Anxiety among girls age 12-17 was cyber-bullying.
- In 2015 rates were more than double that of guys the same age (19.5% girls, 5.8% guys)
Difference between Sadness & Depression:
Sadness is a normal human we all experience, something difficult or emotionally hurtful happens and we feel sadness, usually after time our sadness fades, sometimes the difficult situation passes or we adjust or move on.
- Depression is long term, it impairs all parts of our life and messes with our thinking, our emotions, our behaviors. And it doesn’t have to come from a difficult situation, sometimes there is no trigger for it, your life could be totally fine and depression can still happen.
Symptoms of Major Depressive Episode:
- 5 or More of these lasting 2 weeks or more
- Causing significant impairment in work, home, school, relationships.
1.Depressed or low mood most of the time
2.Loss of pleasure in most things, even ones you used to find joy in
3.Significant changes in weight or appetite
4.Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
5.Feeling restless or slowed down in your physical movements
6.Feeling tired, sluggish or low energy most days
7.Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
8.Trouble concentrating, thinking, focusing or ability to make decisions
9.Thoughts of dying or suicide
Causes of Depression:
•Stress (School, family, relationships. Also,People with low self-esteem and who become overwhelmed with stress easier are more likely to experience depression)
•Trauma• Loss/Grief
•Genetics or Brain Chemistry (Depression can run in families which can increase your risk for depression. Chemical's may not be working the way they should in our brain)
•Medical Issues
•Substance Use (Big link to Depression with substance use. Abusing substances can lead to depression, or often we "self-medicate" with substances to deal with stress or in a social setting, and this can create a depression from over use. Sometimes the things we think are bringing us relief are actually causing us more depression)
Untreated Depression can lead to Higher Risk of:
• Substance abuse •Self-Harm •Suicide • Sexual acting out •Problems in school (unable to focus, be motivated, retain information) •Problems with family and relationships
Difference between Self-Harm and Suicide:
Biggest difference involves Intent.
Self-Harm does not have intention to die, seeks to cope with emotional pain, can be a "punishment" to self, used as an escape,
Suicide has intention of wanting to die, sees no other option, comes from place of hopelessness, no longer want to cope.
Depression IS treatable:
•Therapy
•Medication
•Combo of both
•Diet, Exercise, Sleep, Journaling, Community, Tapping into Faith
How to help a friend who is dealing with Depression:
•Remind them they’re important to you and not alone
•Be there •Be patient •Encourage them to get help
•Believe them •Be honest if you don’t understand, but that you’re there to listen
•Show compassion
DON'T:
•Make it about you •Minimize
•Point out other people have it worse •Tell them Life’s hard and not fair
•Tell them they aren’t depressed
•Tell them to just Pray more
It is important to recognize the signs within ourselves, and our friends. Are they using words like hopeless, using words like suicide, isolating, fixated on death. Most importantly remember it is not your job to take on their burden, but sometimes it’s the ones closest to the person hurting who are going to see the warning signs and can get them help. Don’t ever hesitate to tell someone, a parent, a teacher, your youth leader or pastor, give them the number to suicide prevention hotline so they can reach out to someone. Let them know they are loved and you are here to help them get through this, even if you don’t have the answers.
** Please feel free to reach out (my contact info is under the contact page) if you are dealing with Depression, and are interested in seeing myself or another therapist ( I can help connect you with someone) or need more information about anything mentioned in this blog post.