As your child steps into the teenage period, you may notice a set of physical and emotional changes. This period can be highly turbulent—along with hormonal changes. They may be overwhelmed by the new challenges they face, resulting in your teen’s depression. Moreover, depression in teens is rising, so it is vital to spot the signs before it is too late. If you’re looking for resources on helping teens with depression, especially for treatment-resistant teens, reach out to Venture Academy at the earliest.
While it is normal to feel sad sometimes, experiencing a perpetual sense of sadness, exhaustion, low energy, and anxiety about the future is not. If left unchecked, depression in teens can lead to suicide ideation, drug and alcohol misuse, and other severe disorders. To know more about how Venture Academy’s personalized treatment programs are designed to help teens with depression, call us at 866.762.2211.
5 Ways to Helping Teens with Depression
Depression in teens is a serious issue. But with therapy and holistic support, one can live a healthy, happy, and successful life. Here are a few meaningful ways in which you can help fight your teen’s depression:
1. Build a Closer and Emotional Relationship with Your Teen
Teenagers frequently disagree with and rebel against their parents, leading to estranged relationships. Even though you have their best interests at heart, they may not feel comfortable enough to confide their fears and worries in you. Thus, the first step to fighting your teen’s depression is strengthening your relationship with them. Make them feel loved and cared for, involve them in family decisions and treat them as capable adults whose thoughts and views matter. Schedule some time every day, or at least every week, for family bonding, be it in the form of board games, shared dinners, or other recreational activities.
2. Encourage Them to Find Hobbies
Your teen may also struggle with expressing their needs verbally. So, encourage them to seek new hobbies where they can channel their pent-up feelings of sadness, rage, or confusion in an effective form, such as:
- Painting lessons
- Creative writing classes
- Sports
- Learning a musical instrument
Focusing on learning a new skill without worrying about competition or getting the top marks can also work wonders for their mental health.
3. Support Your Child Without Being Judgemental
As a parent, you can train to listen to your teen’s problems actively. Even if you disagree or disapprove of their choices, do not be judgemental towards them. Otherwise, they might wall up. Instead of punishing or lecturing them about their mistakes, help them see every setback as an opportunity for self-growth and improvement.
4. Teach Them to Notice Good Things and Practice Gratitude
Distracting someone from negativity is a proven tactic to cheer them up. Since teens frequently ruminate on their problems and get trapped in thought spirals, you can always remind them to notice the good things in life or the positive aspects of a situation. You can even suggest that they keep a gratitude journal where they note the good things that happen to them daily.
5. Seek Professional Help
Since depression in teens is often a progressive issue, you should seek professional help if you feel that their mental health is getting worse. A qualified therapist can diagnose their mental disorders correctly, find the right resources and empower them to improve.
Find Help for Your Teen’s Depression at Venture Academy
At Venture Academy, we will do our utmost best to help your troubled teen overcome their behavioural and mental issues and get their lives back on track. Helping teens with depression unlock their full potential is one of the areas we specialize in. We have three treatment centres across Canada, equipped with various customizable programs that cater to the unique needs of teenagers. By signing your child up for one of our programs, we begin with a 30-day assessment and intervention. Only after the teenager is carefully evaluated by a multidisciplinary team that we develop a long-term treatment plan for them to improve their mental health, behaviour, and life skills.
Don’t ignore signs of depression in teens until it’s too late. Get help today by scheduling an appointment at 866.762.2211.
