Connection Between Teen Depression & Suicide

Posted by Kunal Sutar on August 31st, 2018

Here's a strong connection between teenage depression and suicidal tendencies. As per statistics given by top psychiatrists, Teens are far more susceptible to major depression issues and bipolar illness.

A number of suicide attempts and the resulted deaths happen among teens are due to long-term depression. Consider these statistics regarding teen suicide and teen depression by various mental health doctors: about 7% of all teens attempts suicide and about 5% of those suicide attempts results in death (that indicates about 5 in 10,000 teens dies due to suicide). However, for adolescents who have depressive disorders, the rates of suicidal thinking and activities are much greater. According to a number of psychiatrists, most teenagers who have depression contemplate about suicide, and amongst 15% and 30% of teens with serious depression who think about suicide continue to make a suicide attempt.

Remember that most of the time, teenage depression is a short-lived mood. The sadness, loneliness, grief of losing your loved one, and disappointment from life challenges are usual reactions to some of the struggles of life. With the right support from mental health counselor, his/her resilience, a strong inner belief that happy times are on the way and decent surviving skills, most teens can “shoo away” the depressed mood that take place occasionally when life chucks them a curve ball.

But at times, depression doesn't go away after a few hours or days. Instead it lasts pretty longer, and it can appear too hard to bear. When someone has a depressed or unhappy mood which is extreme and remains almost all day, nearly every day for 2 weeks or more, mental therapist suggest it may be a symptom that the individual is going through major depression. Major depression, occasionally known as clinical depression by psychiatrist, is more than a temporary depressed mood - it is the term mental counselling professionals utilize for depression that has developed into a disorder in need of treatment. Yet another form of serious depression is termed as bipolar disorder, which comprises of intense low moods (major depression) and extreme high moods (manic episodes).

Although children can experience depression, too, teens are much more susceptible to major depression dilemma and bipolar illness. Altering hormones and uneven sleep cycles during adolescence have a drastic effect on mood and might somewhat explain why teenagers (particularly girls) are mainly prone to depression. Many counselors are of the opinion that as many as 22% of all teens have had depression that's too severe at some point. The good news is that depression is curable - most teens get back to normal with the right help from depression treatment.

It's not difficult to understand why serious depression and suicide are connected. Serious depression (comprising of both major depression and bipolar illness) involves a long-lasting unhappy mood that doesn't have hope, and a loss of pleasure in stuff you once enjoyed. It also encompasses thoughts about death, bad thoughts about oneself, a feeling of worthlessness, very low energy, and obvious changes in food appetite or sleep.

When major depression ends since a person gets the proper behavioral therapy or anti-depression treatment, this distorted thinking is cleaned and individual can then find pleasure, liveliness, and hope once again.

If someone you know is threatening to kill themselves in the close future or is keenly trying to kill themselves, or has just made a suicide attempt, then it’s high time you visit a psychiatric hospital with him/her. In psychiatric counselling, both the patient and psychiatrist team up to recognize triggers and practice coping techniques that ease symptoms. Sometimes used in addition with counseling is psychiatric treatment. Medication will itself not treat depression, but the correct type of medication would alleviate the symptoms the individual experiences.

It is vital to note that some people respond to depression therapy immediately, while others take days, weeks, months, or in extreme case even years to get full depression therapy benefits. Work with your psychiatrist to figure out a depression treatment plan that works best for you or someone closed to you.