5 Ways to Help a Teen or Young Adult Overcome Depression

As a parent, you want your son or daughter to be happy. You want your teen to be mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy. When they’re not, it’s easy to want to jump to solutions. It’s easy to want a quick fix so that your teen is well again.

Yet, depression is different. In fact, mental illness in general is not a condition that you can simply put a band-aid on and forget about it. Mental illness requires attention, care, love, and work. Yes, believe it or not, it requires effort to heal from a mental illness, such as depression. As a parent, you can help your teen overcome depression with some measured and meaningful action. Here’s five ways to get you started:

1. Look for signs of depression in your teen

If you already suspect that your teen is depressed, then there’s a good chance they are. However, in rare occasions, teens might not be depressed but simply down in the dumps. To be sure, be on the lookout for these signs

irritability
guilt
loss of interest in activities
social withdrawal
suicidal thoughts
poor concentration
poor memory
poor hygiene

indecision
slow thinking
loss of motivation
insomnia or hypersomnia
weight loss or gain
fatigue
headaches
body aches

2. Strengthen your relationship with your teen

Whether you see the above signs or not, strengthening your relationship with your teen will support them regardless. Teens go through big changes during adolescence, and having you close by can be psychologically encouraging for them. If you are seeing the above signs, then there’s more of a reason to emotionally support them. If you want to give your parent-teen relationship a boost, here are some tips:

Listen to them closely when they’re sharing their life with you
Avoid being judgmental or punitive
Be empathetic and think about how you might feel if you were in their shoes
Avoid wanting to tell them to “get over it” or minimizing their experience in any way
Validate your teen’s feelings (i.e. “It looks like you’ve been feeling sad lately. Is that true?)
Try to understand your teen
Connect with your teen emotionally
Make a date with your teen to do something together that they enjoy
Communicate to your teen that you’re available to talk about anything

By listening closely to your teen, you let them know that you understand and that you see them. This alone can be incredibly supportive. Frequently, what those who are depressed need is emotional connection and the kindness of someone close to them.

3. Look for the positive and praise your teen generously

If your teen is depressed, they will welcome praise when it’s offered. Depression often comes with feeling guilty, ashamed, sad, lonely, anxious, and confused. When you give your teen praise, you highlight a detail in their life and you help them shine a bit more. You also let your teen know that you’re noticing, that you care, and that you love them. Teens who are depressed need you to highlight the positive because they are so frequently focused on the negative.

4. Have your teen assessed by a mental health professional.

If you suspect depression in your teen, it’s a good idea to have them seen by a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. Most parents don’t know enough about the mental health condition to know what to do if they suspect their teen might be depressed. For this reason, it’s best to have your teen assessed by a mental health professional so that you can learn about how to prevent depression as well as how to help your teen overcome depression. Here are some additional reasons for having your teen see a mental health professional:

There is no typical picture of depression. Not all depressed teens look alike. You may notice classic symptoms in your teen, such as those listed above. Or, you might see unique symptoms of depression in your teen. For instance, your teen might refuse to shower or use substances to feel better.

Depression is a progressive illness. Depression that is not treated can get worse over time. In fact, many suicides are the result of untreated depression. When teens are not given medication to stabilize their mood, tools to manage their thinking, and support, all of which come with treatment, their depression might get worse.

Depression is treatable. With treatment, a teen’s mood can stabilize and over time they can return to a healthy level of functioning.

Going to a mental health professional will also be an educational experience. You and your teen might learn more about depression, how to prevent it, and what you can do to manage the illness.

5. Talk to your teen about coping tools to help overcome depression.

Working with a therapist, your teen is sure to learn about coping tools. Regardless of whether your teen continues to see a mental health professional, you can encourage your teen to use coping tools to overcome depression and stay emotionally balanced. The following are great ways to stay emotionally healthy:

Mindfulness
Relaxation techniques
Deep breathing
Regular sleep schedule
Healthy eating
Exercise
Having fun
Enjoying time with family and friends
Laughing
Spending time with those who are uplifting
Painting, writing, dancing or other forms of creativity
Having a daily schedule (for routine and stability)
Exploring passions
Thinking about goals for the future

As a parent you can not only encourage your teen to practice these healthy activities, you can also join them. In fact, having a weekly or monthly time for self-care and relaxation together can support your teen’s emotional health. Also, by doing these sort of activities together you send the message to your teen that these activities are important. You model for your teen the importance of emotional and psychological health.

Lastly, if you have a depressed teen at home, then you’re likely going to need to take good care of yourself too. You’re going to have to stay positive to help your teen overcome depression and guide them into a lighter experience of life.

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Take The Next Step to Help Your Teen or Young Adult

Residential therapy can prove beneficial for young adults or teenagers grappling with depression. While home presents a familiar setting, it can also evoke challenging memories, harbor adverse influences, or restrict personal development.

On the other hand, our depression treatment for teens and young adults delivers specialized care from skilled professionals and nurtures a supportive social milieu that promotes interpersonal bonding. This form of treatment for depression in young adults and teens also provides a change of scenery, stimulating teenagers to challenge themselves, explore new avenues, and acquire novel skills.

Our facilities cater to a limited number of clients, ensuring a favorable staff-to-client ratio that facilitates genuinely personalized care. This approach allows us to comprehend the distinct root causes of our clients’ depression or other mental health issues, and devise individually tailored strategies to tackle them effectively.

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Lucy Nguyen, LMFT( Clinical Reviewer )

Lucy Nguyen is the Executive Director at Paradigm Treatment, overseeing all clinical treatment programs across the organization’s southwestern region. Her extensive experience includes working with young adults in private practice, serving as a therapist for children and teens with emotional and behavioral needs, and acting as a behavior interventionist for teens with developmental disorders. Lucy integrates cognitive-behavioral approaches with mindfulness and compassion in her work, and she is also EMDR-trained. She holds a Master of Science in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine.