Author: tkubiny

For Cait Irwin, it started out as a bad day, Instead of mountain biking, shooting baskets, or digging into her homework, she felt tired and listless and just plain down in the dumps. That day dragged into a couple of bad weeks.
Soon, the 13-year-old from the Omaha, Nebraska, suburbs realized that she was in the middle of “months and months of melancholy.”
Cait had been an avid athlete, a budding actress, an honor-roll student with lots of friends. She didn’t drink or use drugs, and there were no major stresses in her life.
“I was always the life of the party,” Cait recalls. “But during my eighth-grade year, I began to feel hopeless. I had no ambition, I didn’t want to go out with friends-all I wanted to was to be by myself.”
That summer, Cait traveled with her parents to a family reunion in Florida. But even the sunshine did nothing to lift her spirits. Ciat spent most of the time in her room.
“At that point, I knew something was really wrong,” Cait says. When her family returned home, Cait told her mother that she was scared by her thoughts of taking her own life. Her mom brought her to a counselor the next day.
Cait was immediately admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She and her family learned that she was suffering from clinical depression, a condition experienced by about 10 percent of Americans at some point during their teen years, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The chemistry of Depression
Your brain is the ultimate high-speed messenger service. It’s constantly sending you information about the world around you-it’s raining, today’s cafeteria special smells suspiciously like yesterday’s– and about the world within you.
Your brain tells you if you’re hungry, or worried about tomorrow’s math test. It works by sending electrical impulses from one brain cell, or neuron to the next, shuttling the messages back and forth via chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Three of those neurotransmitters—serotonin, norepinepirine and dopamine—must be available between the nerve cells in your brain to deliver the message: “You’re happy!”
As Dr. David Frassler explains in Help Me., I’m Sad (Viking, 1997), some experts believe that a percentage of people are born with insufficient amounts of one, or all, of these three neurotransmitters, leaving them vulnerable to depression. Other experts think that traumatic events can cause a change in the brain chemistry of a previously healthy person, making that person susceptible to depression.
If one of your parents has suffered from depression, you have a 25 percent chance of experiencing it yourself; the likelihood jumps to 75 percent if both parents have had clinical depression.
Teen-Depression expert Dr. David Roseburg, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Wayne State University College of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, has been leading a study that uses equipment like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to take pictures of the brains of depressed adolescents. When you compare these pictures with those of kids who aren’t depressed he

Being bummed out occasionally is a normal, healthy part of life. But what if you got so sad, you couldn’t eat, sleep or go to school? When sadness begins to interfere with life as you know it, depression may be to blame.

Out of the Blue
Reprint from Scholastic Choices October

Glossary: Three main types of Depression:

Major, or Clinical Depression– repeated episodes of deep depression. The person experiences hoplessness, physical changes, and emotional numbing. Major depression is dangerous because it can lead to life-threatening thoughts and actions.
Manic Depression/Bipolar Disorder—alternating periods of high activity, or mania, and hoplessness. In the “up” phase, people may talk a lot stay up all night, or exhibit risky, daredevil behaviors. Underneath is a constant sadness into which they periodically collapse.
Dysthymia—chronic sadness, a constant low-level depression. People with this disorder feel robbed of energy and down on everything. They lack motivation and constantly find fault with themselves. Prolonged Dysthymia can lead to major depression.

Hot Lines and Information centers
National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association: 1-800-82-NDMDS
National Mental Health Association: 1-800-969-6977
D/ART-Depression/Awareness, Recognition, Treatment: 1-800-421-4211
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
1-202-966-7300
Suicide Hot Line: 1-800-621-4000

says, it’s easy to tell the difference. “In depression, specific regions of the brain just aren’t functioning properly,” says Dr. Rosenburg.
The Blues and Depression
You’re bound to have days when things don’t go your way: your significant other becomes insignificant, you get into a major argument with your parents, you flunk a big test. It’s normal to feel blue after a day like that. But depression is more intense, and lasts a lot longer.
Ashley Corwin, 16, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, was a seventh-grader who made the honor roll, belonged to the cheerleading squad, and was dating Matt, her first real boyfriend. But when Matt moved to Minneapolis, Ashley “flipped out.” She retreated to her room, cried for hours at a time, and wrote Matt long letters that she never mailed.
Heartbreak can be painful, and Ashley’s reaction was perfectly normal...until her sadness began to interfere with the rest of her life.
“Months after Matt had moved away, I still hadn’t bounced back,” she says. “My grades slipped to D’s and F’s, and I had trouble sleeping. I would cry so hard that I kept thinking my body would explode.”
Ashley was experiencing typical symptoms of depression-she couldn’t shake a feeling of hopelessness, she experienced a major change in her eating and sleeping habits, she no longer enjoyed activities or friends she used to love-and all of these symptoms persisted for more than a few weeks. Ashley may have had “normal” brain chemistry before the traumatic breakup, or she may always have been vulnerable to depression, but it took the loss of Matt to set it off.
Treatment
“People like to say that all teens are moody,” says Dr. Fassler, “so a lot of kids who suffer from depression never get diagnosed and treated.”
And, Dr. Fassler adds, if you’ve suffered a bout of untreated depression, you’re more likely to become depressed again. Cait Irwin was lucky, her family helped her get treatment she needed— counseling and medication. Ashley's mom took her to a psychologist after she saw Ashley’s journal and became concerned. “The psychologist figured out I had depression, and and sent me to a doctor to start

TAKE SUICIDE THREATS SERIOUSLY
No matter what, says Dr. Ann Vernon, professor of counseling and Northern Iowa University and author of What growing up is all about: A parent’s guide to child and adolescent development (Research Press, 1995). Talking to a trusted adult is not being disloyal—it could mean saving your friend’s life.
GET HELP
Ask a favorite teacher or coach, a guidance counselor, family doctor, or school psychologists to put you in touch with a depression-treatment expert.
TAKE YOUR MEDICATION
But be sure to report any bad reactions. And, warns Dr. Vranich, a clinical psychologist for the National Mental Health Association’s campaign on teens and depression, “Don’t stop taking your medication when you start to feel better—you may suffer a relapse.”
MOVE IT
Exercise releases mood-lifting chemicals called endorphins
DISTRACT YOURSELF
If you feel down, try to do something you really enjoy. For Lewis Knorr, 14, of Salt Lake City, Utah, watching comedies and horror movies does the trick.

Fighting back: Here’s what you can do to battle depression

Signs and Symptoms
Persistent sadness; feelings of emptiness
Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities
Lack of energy
Sleep disorder-sleeping too much or not at all
Appetite disorder—not eating or eating all the time
Forgetfulness, inability to concentrate or make decisions
Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or guilt
Irritability
Constant crying
Aches and pains
Drops in school grades
Use of drugs or alcohol to ease pain
Thoughts of death or of self-harm

The National Institute of Mental health estimates that about 1.5 million teens suffer from depression, and in 1996, more than 500,000 of them were prescribed antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, or Wellbutrin. These medications enhance the performance or supply of one or more of the neurotransmitters in your brain that affect mood.
But antidepressants are not “happy pills.” If you’re not depressed, taking antidepressants will make you feel no different.
“Depression is an illness, not a weakness,” insists Dr. David Fassler, author of Help Me, I’m Sad (Viking, 1997). “And medication is very effective treatment– but not alone.” Counseling, Dr. Frassler stresses, is also key to recovery.
Some people are concerned that antidepressants are prescribed too often-and haven’t been tested adequately for use by teens.
“There are many antidepressant prescriptions being written without a careful and clear diagnosis and evaluation,” says Dr. Stuart Goldman, a child psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School.
And, experts caution, there may be side effects. People who take antidepressants may experience stomach distress, headaches, jitteriness, or sleeplessness. That’s why psychological counseling and close monitoring of people on medication is just as important to treating depression as the medication itself.

Medication and Teens

TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY WHEN YOU GET DEPRESSED

Sandy hadn’t been able to shake her dark mood. It started when Brian broke up with her. That was almost 2 months ago. All she wants to do is sleet-in fact, sometimes she wishes she’d never wake up. That would be easier than facing him at school every day.
When you lose someone or something-a boyfriend, a parent, or friends through changing schools-feeling bad is a natural response. Depression-which is just anger, turned inward-is a normal reaction to change and stress. Everyone feels it.
It is also a fairly common experience for teenagers to think of hurting themselves when they are depressed. The fact that Sandy feels this way (“I wish I’d never wake up” is a self-destructive thought_ does not mean that she is crazy.
But it does mean something. It is a message from herself to herself that something in her life needs to be changed. She needs to take her thoughts of hurting herself seriously.
And she needs to talk to someone-a friend, a family member, a trusted adult-about her problem.
Why? Because she’s depressed. And depression can sometimes be dangerous. Seriously depressed people often turn to thoughts of suicide. Suicides aren’t something that happens to “other persons.” Although at one time or another most of us thing about suicide, some do more than think about it.
Among 15– to 24-year-olds, suicide is the third leading cause of death, right behind traffic accidents and homicides. There are over 400,000 suicide attempts each year in this age group, and over 5,000 teens will “succeed.”
Suicide attempts are more common among women. Women like Sandy account for 90% of suicide attempts. But young men are more likely to actually kill themselves-three times as likely as women.
It takes 2 things to trigger a suicide attempt”
A bad event. The teenager experiences a normal loss in his or her life. We say “normal” because it is normal to have losses and disappointments in life. Most people get upset or blue at such times, but most get over it.
Isolation. Instead of talking over her problems someone Sandy went off by herself and brooded over it. Although being alone and “licking our wounds” is what we often feel like doing most when we are upset, it is the most dangerous thing we can do. Because isolation feeds depression.
Sandy is showing several of the following signs of severe depression:
Feeling blue or sad; thinking bad thought about yourself
Loss of appetite
Trouble with sleep
Self-punishing (“I’ve had it”)
Abrupt personality change
Declining school performance and apathy
Sandy has been having these symptoms for 2 months. That is another signal that she needs immediate help.
When symptoms last more than a couple of weeks, you may need help.
Will Her Friends Reject Her?
Sandy needs to talk to someone, but she’s finding it difficult. When she and Brian first broke up, her friends and parents did try to talk to her about it, but she just felt like sulking then. She didn’t want to talk.
When her friends and family felt that their sympathy wasn’t appreciated, they backed off a little, so Sandy felt like thy withdrew from her too. That has made her feel even worse. She feels they have been avoiding her.
This is a very common situation among depressed people. But Sandy needs to reach out for help despite her feelings. Her friends and family will probably be more than willing to listen now-all they ever wanted to do was help her over her troubles.
But if she can’t face them right now, she needs to talk to someone-even if it is just a suicide hotline. If you’re depressed, just take that first step and reach out to someone. You needn’t try to face your problems alone when there are so many people ready and willing to help!

to start me on Prozac,” says Ashley. “After four weeks, I was feeling better. I would go every week for counseling, and learn better ways to deal with my problems.”
Treatment is not just about taking medicine and going to counseling, it’s about learning to take care of yourself. For some teenagers, that means learning to express their feelings, “If someone was a jerk to me, I would always try to hide it when it bothered me,” says Lewis Knorr, 14, of Salt Lake City. “But now I confront them and tell them to stop. It’s helped me feel a lot better.”
Ashley, too, is feeling better. “I got my appetite back and gained the weight I had lost—about 10 pounds,” she says. “Now when bad things happen, I have better coping skills, like going out for a run. One thing that really helped me was writing in a journal when I was sad. Now, I read my own words and I can completely remember the feeling. It’s good to be able to see the contrast.”

TUNE IN TO YOUR FEELINGS
Keep a journal to monitor the depression. See if you can uncover patterns or triggers. Also: Let people know if you’re upset or angry.
BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF
Expect to have difficult days, even days when you feel as if you’re getting worse, not better. Depression is a stubborn illness, and fighting it takes lots of time, courage, and perseverance.