Many
Christians struggle not only with depression itself, but with the notion
a believer could suffer from depression, a local counselor said. "We
have a large Christian population in this area, and it's a real struggle
for some of them to even admit they are depressed. For some Christians,
even the idea of seeking mental
health treatment is perceived as bad," Hamlet Smith of Life Strategies
Counseling in Beckley said.
When
Christians express those concerns, Smith points them to biblical passages
that indicate many of their heroes suffered from depression. "In
Psalm 42, David questions himself the way he is feeling by asking, 'Why
are you so downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed within me?' Anyone
can experience depression, and the first step in overcoming it is honesty.
You have to admit you are depressed before you can find out why and what
to do about it," Smith said.
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It is especially perplexing when the person depressed is a teen-ager.
"We tend to overlook depression in teens because of the moodiness
that goes along with the physiological changes during adolescence. However,
many teens today do suffer from depression, and many do not seek help,"
Smith said. The Department of Health and Human Resources estimates there
are 54,847 children in the state who meet the definition of serious emotional
disturbance, based on the 13 percent prevalence rate for the overall population.
"The statistics on teen depression are sobering," Smith said.
"Studies indicate that one in five children has some sort of mental,
behavioral or emotional problem, and that one in 10 may have a serious
emotional problem. Among adolescents, one in eight may suffer from depression.
"Of all these children and teens struggling with emotional and behavioral
problems, a mere 30 percent receive any sort of intervention or treatment.
The other 70 percent simply struggle through the pain of mental illness
or emotional turmoil, doing their best to make it to adulthood."
The consequences
of untreated depression can be increased incidence of
depression in adulthood, involvement in the criminal justice system or,
in some
cases, suicide. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among young
people
ages 15 to 24.
"Even more shocking, it is the sixth-leading cause of death among
children ages
5-14. The most troubling fact is that these struggling teens often receive
no
counseling, therapy or medical intervention, even though the National
Institute
of Mental Health reports that studies show treatments of depression in
children
and adolescents can be effective," Smith said.
- - -
Teen depression can take many forms. More females than males suffer from
depression, and each gender may show the signs in different ways, Smith
said.
Some of the following problems are common indicators of teen depression:
-- Grades begin to drop.
-- Change of friends.
-- Teen spends a lot more time alone.
-- Fluctuating emotions.
-- Frequent outbursts of anger.
-- Changes in eating patterns - sudden weight loss or weight gain.
-- Changes in sleep patterns.
Any threat a child makes about suicide should be taken seriously, Smith
said.
"There's a misconception that people who talk about suicide don't
follow through.
If a child is talking about suicide, he's thinking about it. No threat
about suicide
should be ignored," he said.
Parents should also be particularly aware of the risk of depression in
children
who have had long-term or chronic illnesses, who have been abused or
neglected, have experienced a recent trauma or lost a loved one, Smith
said.
Good - and frequent - communication is a must in detecting teen depression,
Smith said.
"Parents have to make time to get into their kids' heads and know
what they're
thinking about. It has to be a priority that takes precedence over all
the activities
in their lives and in their children's lives. Parents and kids need to
be talking to
each other all the time and keeping the channels of communication open."
- E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com
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Teen Depression