Depression in Teens and Children
Ms. Nejman’s article, Experts call teen depression a challenge highlights the challenges of balancing the need to treat depression in teens and children against the safety risks of treating depression with antidepressants. Talk therapy may be an excellent option, and a required one when medication is involved, but adolescence is not the period when trust in adults is particularly strong. I had severe depression as a teenager and to this day, I continue to feel tremendous gratitude to high school counselors and teachers who must have found me a terror to work with, but never gave up trying to “reach” me.
I’m not sure how wide a network “teen counselors” are, but we have a need for teens who have successfully managed depression to partner with counselors and therapists. This may help ease the stigma that can come with not just having depression, but as a teenager navigating peer pressure AND social stigma. Having depression may not be “cool”, but it doesn’t have to ruin your life.