Teenage Depression:Tips for Parents

Teenage depression could be a very serious health matter that could develop in persistent emotional and physical hardships. Although there is no certain way to prevent it, you could do simple ways that will help make a big difference.

1. Give unconditional support.
A good parent-child relationship could help prevent depression in teenage kids. Here are simple ways to strengthening your relationship with your teenager:

Schedule time once a day to talk.
Know the issues, problems, and the things that bother or excite your teenage kid.
Encourage your child to express what he or she feels.
Recognize his or her goods deeds, even the little things. Give compliments for his or her strengths, be it in music, sports, relationships, academics, or other facets of life.
Give positive feedback for the behaviour he or she displays.
Get your child involved in preparing meals; and eat together.
Respond to his or her anger with reassuring words and gestures ,not anger also.
If your child does not like to talk, spend time with him or her in the same room in your home. Even if you are not talking, a true, motherly or fatherly attitude speaks a bunch.

2. Establish social support networks and friendships.
Encourage him or her to spend more time with friends and be involved in activities in school. Good friendships and positive peer experiences can help prevent depression in teenagers. Being involved in organised activities or team sports could also help. It develops the self-esteem of your child and increases his or her support network. Also, be aware of problems regarding early dating. Even typical romantic experiences, such as flirting and dating could be a challenge for teenagers, and may trigger depression.

3. Monitor your child's media use.

Be watchful of movies and TV shows that feature idealized lives or characters. If your child often assesses himself or herself against an impossible ideal, disappointment and depression could most likely follow. Repeated exposure to violent television shows or movies could also produce feelings of depression, may be by promoting a negative or scary point of view of life.

4. Promote good sleep.

A good night's sleep will help teens feel his or her best, emotionally and physically. In a study, teenagers whose parents enforced bedtime at 10 in the evening or earlier were less likely to experience feelings of depression than teens who regularly went to bed at 12 midnight or later. Besides regular bedtime, consider principles of a sound sleep, such as limiting screen time prior to sleeping and consistent bedtime routine. Also, keep in mind that the relationship between depression and sleep goes both ways. Consistent lack of sleep could add to the risk of depression; and feelings of depression itself make it more difficult for someone to have a good sleep.

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