About Teen Depression

Symptoms 

According to Penn State Health, one in five teenagers have depression at some point. A teen may be depressed if they are feeling sad, blue, unhappy or down in the dumps. Depression is a serious problem, even more so if these feelings have taken over a teen’s life. 

A teen is more at risk for depression if: 

    • Mood disorders run in the family. 
    • They experience a stressful life event like a death in the family, divorcing parents, bullying, a break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or failing in school. 
    • They have low self-esteem and are very critical of themselves. 
    • The teen is a girl. Teen girls are twice as likely as boys to have depression. 
    • The teen has trouble being social. 
    • The teen has learning disabilities. 
    • The teen has a chronic illness. 
    • There are family problems or problems with their parents. 

If the teen is depressed, you may see some of the following common symptoms of depression. If these symptoms persist, talk with the student privately. If you do not feel comfortable talking alone with a student, please refer the student to his or her guidance counselor. 

    • Frequent irritability with sudden bursts of anger. 
    • More sensitive to criticism. 
    • Complaints of headaches, stomach aches or other body problems. The teen may go to the nurse’s office at school a lot. 
    • Withdrawal from people like parents or some friends. 
    • Not enjoying activities they usually like. 
    • Feeling tired for much of the day. 
    • Sad or blue feelings most of the time. 

Notice changes in the teen’s daily routines that can be a sign of depression. You may notice that: 

  • The teen has trouble sleeping or is sleeping more than normal. 
  • A change in eating habits, such as not being hungry or eating more than usual. 
  • The teen fears gaining weight, and exercises excessively. 
  • They experience a hard time concentrating. 
  • The teen has problems making decisions. 

Changes in the teen’s behavior may also be a sign of depression. They could be having problems at home or school: 

    • Drop in school grades, attendance, not doing homework 
    • High-risk behaviors, such as reckless driving, unsafe sex or shoplifting 
    • Engaging in self-harm behaviors (e.g., cutting or burning their skin) 
    • Pulling away from family and friends and spending more time alone 
    • Drinking or using drugs 

Teens with depression may also have: 

    • Anxiety disorders 
    • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 
    • Bipolar disorder 
    • Eating disorders (bulimia or anorexia) 

Recognizing Red Flags 

Red flags can be telling of a larger issue, being able to recognize these potential concerns allows you to help students access the appropriate mental health assistance they may need. 

If observable behaviors do not pose an immediate threat(s), please take the following step(s): 

    • Contact school counselor with concerns regarding observable behaviors. 
    • Refer to Student Assistance Program (SAP) 
    • Always err on the side of caution. 

Please know that the student’s counselor will most likely speak with the student privately to assess his or her risk factors and contact parents if necessary. You may decide or be asked to contact the student’s parents about the behaviors you have observed in your classroom. Please continue to report any ongoing behaviors of concern that you observe and maintain communication with the school counselor. 

Click here to learn more about observable behaviors that can be red flags. 

Here’s an easy-to-remember mnemonic representing the warning signs of suicide: 

IS PATH WARM? 

I: Ideation
S: Substance Abuse
P: Purposelessness
A: Anxiety
T: Trapped
H: Hopelessness
W: Withdrawal
A: Anger
R: Recklessness
M: Mood Changes 

Increased Risk Factors for Suicide include: 

    • History of trauma or abuse 
    • Recent loss of loved one 
    • Recent loss of relationship 
    • Recent stressful or traumatic life event 
    • Family history of suicide 
    • Previous suicide attempt 
    • Exposure to other teen suicides 
    • Lack of adequate health care resources 
    • Loneliness due to lack of a support network 
    • Hostile social or school environment 
    • Substance and alcohol abuse 
    • Mental disorders 
    • Impulsive/aggressive tendencies 
    • Major physical or chronic illness/pain 
    • Terminal illness 
    • Easy access to lethal means 

Protective Factors: 

    • Effective mental health care 
    • Easy access to a variety of clinical interventions 
    • Connectedness to individuals, family, community 
    • Restricted access to lethal means 
    • Skills in conflict resolution and handling issues in non-violent ways 
    • Problem-solving skills 
    • Contact with caregivers 
    • Ability to cope with stressful situations 

 Supporting Mental Health in the Classroom  

Reduce Stress 

As educators, it may feel like you are in a constant stressed state. Consider these resources to help combat stress and anxiety for you and your students. 

    • Take five minutes for yourself each day to practice one of the following techniques from Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Teachers Take 5 program: 
    • Breathe and focus 
    • Eat a healthy snack 
    • Stretch and move 
    • Hydrate! 
    • Connect with others 
    • Play music in the classroom that is proven to improve focus and promote relaxation 
    • Search Spotify or other digital music services and listen to “Classical Music for Studying” 
    • Classical Music for Studying 
    • Exam Study Classical Music to Increase Brain Power 
    • Connect with nature 
    • Aids in relaxation 
    • Reduces anxiety 
    • Boost your mood 
    • Try this! Bring nature into the classroom. To help your classroom relax, project a natural landscape on a large screen and play natural sounds. One minute of this technique will help students’ minds with a quick mini escape. Tip: @nationalparkservice has stunning images on Instagram 
    • Reduce classroom clutter 
    • Visual overstimulation can lead to unnecessary stress 
    • Keep materials away until needed 
    • Limit how much you put on your walls 
    • Create a calming corner in classrooms 
    • Works best for elementary and middle school ages 
    • A calming corner is ideally a quiet area of your classroom that is equipped with comfortable seating and materials 
    • Including coloring supplies (this can be for all ages!), noise cancelling headphones, bean bag chairs, calming activities and a feelings check-in method resource 
    • This space can help promote students’ ability to regulate (i.e., having a space to reflect, calm down and just have a moment to themselves) 

Mindfulness 

We’ve all heard the adage that “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” It is important as educators to take care of yourself to help put your best foot forward for you and your students. 93% of teachers report high levels of daily, job-related stress. Because of this, it is important to consider recommendations to decrease stress for you and your classroom. Introducing evidence-based mindfulness practice(s) into your classroom can have positive effects on both you and your students. The Oxford dictionary defines mindfulness as “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” 

Mindfulness Benefits for Students: 

    • Increased attention and focus 
    • Increased cognitive development 
    • Improved behavior in school 
    • Improved empathy and perspective taking 
    • Improved social skills 
    • Improved emotional regulation 
    • Decreased anxiety and stress 
    • Decreased post-traumatic symptoms 
    • Decreased depression symptoms 

Mindfulness Benefits for Teachers: 

    • Reduced stress and burnout 
    • Greater efficacy in job duties 
    • More emotionally supportive classrooms 
    • Better classroom organization 

10 Ways to Incorporate Mindfulness in the Classroom 

Mindfulness is not a new concept; but modern-day research suggests this ‘enhanced self-awareness’ diminishes stress and anxiety and, in turn, reduces the risk of developing cancer, disease, and psychopathology. It is useful to practice mindfulness as a tool for general physical and mental health. To create a calmer, mindful classroom, consider incorporating the suggested techniques below: 

    1. Create a quiet space in your classroom. Find a time and/or place where you and your students can pause for a few moments and develop a sense of familiarity with quiet. Notice how we may become aware of things around us and in us in a new and different way. If you’re unable to create such a space for students, the use of white noise can help mask background noise or still ‘overactive’ minds.  
    2. Pay attention with purpose and curiosity. Have students try to notice sounds, textures, colors, shapes, and other characteristics of their environments. These can be excellent writing prompts, for example. Being in the moment is both a cause and an effect of mindfulness. Mindfulness is rooted in the present. Thoughts about yesterday, tomorrow, or even your ‘self’ in the context of an afternoon or school year or activity is the opposite of presence in the present. 
    3. Use guided meditation daily. With students, explore the breath by having them close their eyes and explore a guided meditation each day before class.  
    4. Offer caring wishes. Practice caring and compassion for ourselves and others by offering wishes such as, “May we be happy, may we be safe, may we be filled with love.” They might giggle in August, but by May? They may just wish you affection right back. Caring wishes can be used when we experience discomfort before taking a test, when reading out loud, or simply to send kindness to another person. 
    5. Practice gratitude. We can cultivate gratitude in simple ways; for example, we can take a few minutes to reflect on the good things that happened during the day, keep a list of people and things for which we are grateful and/or create a gratitude journal using words and pictures. Write about it, talk about it, reflect upon it. 
    6. Be patient. These ideas will take patience to develop as a capacity in students. Start with small, quick activities. Accept challenges as they arise. Help students contextualize what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. There’s no reason mindfulness can’t be successful in any K-12 classroom. 
    7. Model it–or let others do so. Watching others ‘being mindful’ so that they can see what it looks like in different shapes, contexts, and applications. This can be done live, or through YouTube, or even videos the students make themselves. 
    8. Transfer it. Help students carry it beyond the classroom by offering tips, resources, ideas, and more to be mindful in their daily lives. (After all, isn’t that the point?) 
    9. Journal about it. Keep notes about how it is, what it’s not, when it ‘worked,’ when it didn’t, what the benefits have been, what other aspects of growth daily mindfulness practice could lead to, etc.
       

Tools for Building Classroom Mindfulness