How to Help Your Teenage Daughter Cope with Depression
Are you concerned that your teen daughter has been isolating herself more and more?
She’s just not excited about the activities that used to bring her joy?
Maybe she is in her bedroom a lot, sleeping, and otherwise always on her cell phone.
Does this sound familiar?
You might wonder how you can tell whether your teen daughter is going through normal adolescent changes or is possibly clinically depressed.
You may know that depression is very common in adolescence. It actually affects approximately 25% of the female teen population and is a legitimate concern.
Often, the interests that teens had as a child will change. They may have been into ballet or tap dancing and now they seem more interested in taking naps or being on their cell phone chatting with their friends.
Part of this is the normal development of a teenager who is on the road to becoming an individual with unique ideas, interests, and values. These are often different from their parents and can be an effort to create their own identity.
However, the isolation and lack of engagement in activities may also be a sign of depression. It is important to help support and encourage your teenager in developing her own ideas and values. Hint: Try asking her opinions about a TV show you watched together or about an issue that was brought up in their class.
3 Key Factors for Identifying Depression
There are three key factors in identifying whether your teenager is depressed or is just going through normal adolescent changes.
The seriousness of mood changes
How long they last
Problems in multiple areas of their life
It is important to pay attention to the severity of your daughter’s changes in mood, whether it is sadness, anger, irritability or other negative emotions. You can also pay attention to how her behavior might be changing, which could show up as more isolation, eating or sleeping more or less often or other concerning signs. These can all be indicators of possible depression.
Every teen goes through tough times and has their fair share of bad days. If her moods and negative behaviors last for two weeks or longer, it is much more likely that she is dealing with legitimate depression.
Lastly, if you observe problems coming up in more than one area of her life, such as at school, in friendships, or at home this could also point to depression rather than a momentary mood change that is related to one specific stressful event.
Creating a lifestyle that includes healthy habits for the body and mind are vital in boosting mood and combating the symptoms of depression.
First, discuss and establish small goals with you daughter that are attainable. Think about what is realistic and doable within your financial and time limits. This could mean going for a walk every day after dinner with the family which would support your daughter’s goal of being more physically active and also involves quality family time.
If it is difficult to get your daughter to agree, try creating an incentive for her. Maybe after one week of walking together as a family, everyone goes out for ice cream or your daughter can pick the movie for the family to watch.
When a teen is depressed it may feel overwhelming to join a sports team or attend a class at the YMCA. However, once your teen is used to the daily walks and this has become part of her routine. Maybe you can identify more possibilities such as finding a kickboxing or yoga class she would enjoy where she can increase her physical activity, have fun, and make positive peer connections.
Work together to identify an activity that would be fun for her to increase the likelihood of her following through with it. Research your local YMCA or community center to see what classes she might like and make an agreement that she try it out for at least a month.
Hint: Check out Groupon or other deal sites for local classes to try out.
If it is not the right fit, try something else! It is normal for teens to not realize when their mood changes. Be sure to point out the positive changes you see as often as possible. “Wow, you seem to be in such a great mood after we go for a walk!” or “I’m really proud of you for trying something new!”
Remember to model positive and healthy behavior for your daughter by the choices you make. Are you practicing self-care? You and your daughter could even try joining a martial arts or yoga class together and you can both learn the benefits of self-care!
Get in touch with us today and find out how counseling can help your teenager and your family.
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