By Kinjal S Shah
You have always been amazed at the energy level of your child who used to be bubbling with joy but the early years of teenage have just reversed the trend and suddenly you find your teen withdrawn, moody, irritable and violent. You will be surprised to know that a number of teens go through a depressed phase in their lives and some come out of it unscathed while others need help to look back at life in a positive manner. In certain extreme cases of depression you might need to put your teen on medication.
Depression in teens could manifest itself through different channels. It could lead to problems at school and home, drug abuse, violent behaviour, eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia and suicidal tendencies. So how can you as a parent help your teen get out of this troubled phase?
Below are some of tips to deal with these behavioural issues.
As a parent it is very important that you don't start playing the blame game. You will only end up going in circles if you indulge in it. So how does one start the topic? First and foremost you need to talk with your teen in a non-judgmental way. There are chances that your teen may refuse to talk with you or if they do talk deny that they are depressed.
You need to be patient, persistent and loving while communicating. You can let them know the specific signs you have noticed that point to depressed state of mind. If they continue to deny it you can directly name the symptoms like violent behaviour and eating disorders. Do not be critical or sarcastic while mentioning these signs.
Most teenagers in their depressed state have low self esteem and self confidence is at its lowest. They don't feel good about their appearance, bodies, clothes and just about every other aspect of life. As a parent it is very important that you communicate in a way, which restores self-confidence, and self-esteem and they start believing in their abilities once again.
Encourage your teen to open up and offer support in an unconditional way. Do not start lecturing about right and wrong and tell them that you are there for them and willing to provide any sort of help they require. You might be tempted to ask a lot of questions but hold on to them as you might end up scaring.
The initial attempts may be met with resistance and they might deny any sort of wrong doing as far as drugs and violent behaviour is concerned. You will need to explain to them that there are disastrous consequences to drug abuse and violence in a gentle but direct way.
You will need to acknowledge the pain that they are going through even though it might appear silly and irrational to you. As an adult we tend to see things differently but you need to look at their problems through their perspective in order to provide long lasting solutions.
Accept the fact that it will take time and enormous amount of love and understanding to help you teen overcome this phase of life.
You have always been amazed at the energy level of your child who used to be bubbling with joy but the early years of teenage have just reversed the trend and suddenly you find your teen withdrawn, moody, irritable and violent. You will be surprised to know that a number of teens go through a depressed phase in their lives and some come out of it unscathed while others need help to look back at life in a positive manner. In certain extreme cases of depression you might need to put your teen on medication.
Depression in teens could manifest itself through different channels. It could lead to problems at school and home, drug abuse, violent behaviour, eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia and suicidal tendencies. So how can you as a parent help your teen get out of this troubled phase?
Below are some of tips to deal with these behavioural issues.
As a parent it is very important that you don't start playing the blame game. You will only end up going in circles if you indulge in it. So how does one start the topic? First and foremost you need to talk with your teen in a non-judgmental way. There are chances that your teen may refuse to talk with you or if they do talk deny that they are depressed.
You need to be patient, persistent and loving while communicating. You can let them know the specific signs you have noticed that point to depressed state of mind. If they continue to deny it you can directly name the symptoms like violent behaviour and eating disorders. Do not be critical or sarcastic while mentioning these signs.
Most teenagers in their depressed state have low self esteem and self confidence is at its lowest. They don't feel good about their appearance, bodies, clothes and just about every other aspect of life. As a parent it is very important that you communicate in a way, which restores self-confidence, and self-esteem and they start believing in their abilities once again.
Encourage your teen to open up and offer support in an unconditional way. Do not start lecturing about right and wrong and tell them that you are there for them and willing to provide any sort of help they require. You might be tempted to ask a lot of questions but hold on to them as you might end up scaring.
The initial attempts may be met with resistance and they might deny any sort of wrong doing as far as drugs and violent behaviour is concerned. You will need to explain to them that there are disastrous consequences to drug abuse and violence in a gentle but direct way.
You will need to acknowledge the pain that they are going through even though it might appear silly and irrational to you. As an adult we tend to see things differently but you need to look at their problems through their perspective in order to provide long lasting solutions.
Accept the fact that it will take time and enormous amount of love and understanding to help you teen overcome this phase of life.
In the book "Solving Teenage Problems", the causes and symptoms of teenage behaviour problems have been described in detail. The book also gives different tips to deal with teenage behavioural issues. Finally the book provides different models to prepare for better relationship with your teenager.
The author is a successful marketing executive in a large consumer good company and a mother of two boys. She has had a rough ride in the past two years and has successfully saved her family from the brink of disaster by working on her parenting techniques. She has recently built a website http://www.newparentingstyle.com and also written a book "Solving Teenage Problems", which can be accessed on http://www.teenageproblems.newparentingstyle.com.
The author is a successful marketing executive in a large consumer good company and a mother of two boys. She has had a rough ride in the past two years and has successfully saved her family from the brink of disaster by working on her parenting techniques. She has recently built a website http://www.newparentingstyle.com and also written a book "Solving Teenage Problems", which can be accessed on http://www.teenageproblems.newparentingstyle.com.
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