Help Your Twentysomething Get a Life...And Get It Now by Ross Campbell

Author:Ross Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

DEPRESSION

Related to the negative emotions associated with anxiety, we see an unsettling increase in reported cases of depression among our young people. Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School studied eight thousand Americans ages fifteen to fifty-four. Of those now forty-five to fifty-four, only 2 percent reported symptoms of depression by their late teens. But in the age range of fifteen to twenty-four, 23 percent reported serious depression before age twenty.5 It seems clear that depression is either more prevalent than in the past or we are simply much more aware of it at younger ages.

We need to clarify our terms carefully. There is situational depression, which is common to nearly all people. It comes and goes with the ups and downs of life. However, when a depressed mood lingers for more than two weeks and is accompanied by other symptoms that interfere with daily living, it could be a case of clinical depression. If your adult child has hit a rough stage in life and feels helpless or frustrated in her attempts to work through it, then she could be a candidate for a bout with depression. Emotional reactions to negative developments in life are probably the most common triggers for this pervasive problem.

Various studies show that about one in six people will cope with clinical depression at some time in life, and the twenties are the average or typical period of time when it happens. Women seem to be twice as likely to suffer from depression (or perhaps to report the problem).

One problem in recognizing depression in a young adult is that she can hide it very well. Some have called this camouflaged problem “smiling depression,” because younger people are concerned about how they appear, and they’ll take greater pains to disguise their emotions. However, the mask is most often applied in public situations— among the young adult’s friends. You as the parent have an opportunity to see your adult child when she is more likely to be herself, bad moods and all. How can you recognize depression and distinguish it from simple and temporarily low spirits? Look for not one but several of these signs:

One in six people will cope with clinical depression at some time in life, and the twenties are the average or typical period of time when it happens.

• Subdued mood

• Loss of pleasure in normal activities

• Excessive sadness

• Extremes: eating too little or too much

• Extremes: sleeping too little or too much

• Emotions: guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, fear

• An inability to make decisions

• Regular thoughts about death

Note that any individual item in that list, taken by itself, would be rather common and insignificant. When you see several of these behaviors together for an extended period of time, however, you should consult a physician or qualified counselor about the possibility of your child suffering from depression. The least likely person to recognize the presence of the disorder is the young adult who suffers from it, so please realize that your child is likely to resist your concerns and your desire to have her examined.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.