There can be many factors which can trigger a bout of teen depression. When your troubled teen is struggling with depression, it is important to determine what has triggered their depression so you can help them receive the correct treatment.
Academic Underperformance Or Pressure
As the average teenager spends the majority of their waking hours at school, it makes sense that academic pressure can send a teen into a depressive slump. The teen’s depression will only be deepened if grades slip under the pressure.
Working with your teenager’s teachers and possibly employing a tutor to help your teen catch back up to their peers can help alleviate the academic pressure.
Family Dynamic Alterations
Families undergoing dynamics altering situations can cause teens to become depressed. Not only does this apply to circumstances such as divorce, or the death of a family member, but it can also be triggered by an older sibling moving out of the family home. This especially applies if the teen becomes the oldest or last child at home.
Time is the best healer for this common depression trigger, as it will take the teen time to see that things are not irreparably damaged by familial changes.
Personal Relationship Issues
As teens spend much of their waking time at school, they consequently become more and more invested in their relationships with their peers, both romantic and platonic. If your teen is under a large amount of peer pressure or experiencing problems in their romantic relationships, it can trigger a dangerous depressive episode.
As those with depression need a strong support system, your teen will need more support from you if they are struggling with their personal relationships with their peers. A troubled teen therapist at a therapeutic boarding school can particularly helpful in helping your teen recognize toxic relationships and help them develop better standards for future relationships.
Self-Esteem Struggles
Self-esteem struggles are common among teenagers as they are undergoing a variety of changes over a relatively short period of time. However, these issues generally are not caused in a vacuum. If your teen expresses unhappiness or doubt regarding their worth, many times there will be someone or something which has planted those doubts.
Be sure to keep the lines of communication open with your teen, so you can discover where the source of the self-esteem problems is rooted.
Genetic Predisposition
There can be a genetic component to your teen’s depression. Some teens inherit a predisposition to depression which the most careful parenting cannot keep from taking place.
If you are aware of such an issue among family members, start working with your teen on appropriate coping methods to keep the depression at bay. While it would be best done before your teen manifests depression symptoms, learning appropriate coping methods are always good.
Undergone Trauma
Along with suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and new phobias related to the traumatic experience, your teen can suffer from depression post-traumatic experience. Be sure to keep a close eye on your teen after they have suffered trauma.
Sundance Canyon Academy helps teens struggling with a range of problems and has a track record of helping teens become successful adults. If you believe your son could benefit from our program, contact us today to discuss his needs.
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