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Teen depression: Not just a phase they will outgrow

Rima Himelstein, M.D., a Crozer-Keystone Health System pediatrician, talks about the complexities and many faces of teen depression through experiences with her patients, and how to recognize the signs of depression in teens.

    by Rima Himelstein, M.D.
    Published 

This is the first in an ongoing series that will examine mental illness in teens. Blog contributor Rima Himelstein, M.D., a Crozer-Keystone Health System pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist, opens the series with how to recognize signs of depression in teens. In the following weeks, we'll go more indepth into how depression can accompany other mental illness, treatment options available for teens, and the risks for not treating depression such as suicide.

  1. Sad, irritable or blue feelings

  2. Suicidal thoughts

  3. Decline in school performance

  4. Physical complaints

  5. Poor self-esteem

  6. Social withdrawal   

  7. Alcohol or drug abuse

  1. Too much energy

  2. Distractibility

  3. Not sleeping

  4. Talkative with racing thoughts 

  5. Risky sexual behaviors

  1. Medication: Medication is used to correct the chemical imbalance in the brain. Although fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only antidepressant approved by the FDA for treatment of adolescents, research studies have demonstrated that other medicines are also effective. They may take several weeks to work and are continued for at least six months. 

  2. Psychotherapy: Two types of therapy have been shown to help: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) addresses negative patterns of thinking and behaving, and interpersonal therapy (IPT) focuses on developing healthier relationships.

  1. Bullying (both for the individual being bullied and the one doing the bullying) 

  2. Suicide