Depression is much more than sadness or a bad mood. It’s a diagnosable mental health condition that can become worse without treatment. Depression can lower your energy and make you sleep too much, or keep you up at night. It can make it hard to talk with your friends or enjoy things you usually like
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When you’ve lost a friend or a loved one to suicide, it’s easy to feel like no one will understand what you’re going through. Most people never have to experience this, and each loss affects everyone differently. There may be some unanswered questions weighing on your mind or a feeling of rejection by the person
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Sexual abuse, physical abuse and accidents all have a high potential to cause childhood trauma. However, any situation that overwhelms a child’s ability to cope can be harmful. Emotional neglect is an especially widespread problem. It can be harder to spot than physical or sexual abuse. Mental health experts, such as those at Brunel University
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Stress is a natural reaction to life’s challenges and demands. It’s the body’s way of responding to pressure, whether that pressure comes from school, social situations or other responsibilities. For teens, stress can be very common. They can face daily challenges that make them feel pressured or anxious. Stress levels have been on the rise
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Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself — your sense of worth and value. It’s how you see yourself and how you believe others see you. Self-esteem is how much you believe in your own abilities. It can be like a mirror that reflects your thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Confidence, on the other hand, is
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Anxiety is a natural human emotion that everyone can experience from time to time. It’s that nervous feeling you get before a big test, a presentation or when something important is happening in your life. For many people, these anxious feelings come and go. But when anxiety becomes overwhelming or is happening too often, it
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Depression in teenagers can sometimes be hard to detect, especially when it doesn’t fit the more recognizable patterns of severe sadness or withdrawal. High-functioning depression doesn’t always present with the classic symptoms, such as sadness, hopelessness or a lack of interest in activities. Instead, teens experiencing high-functioning depression may appear to be high-achieving, successful and
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Mental health issues in teens are a major concern for today’s society. Teen depression, in particular, affects a large part of the youth population. As of 2024, approximately 20.17% of youth experienced an episode in the past year, according to Mental Health America. Depression is more than just occasional sadness; it’s a mental health condition
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Do you remember what kind of clothes you wanted to wear during your adolescent or teen years? Maybe you had to have a certain kind of haircut, shoes, or purse to fit in. Did your friends ever tempt you to buy something or do something that ultimately didn’t seem worth it in the end? Looking
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Many parents feel confused and even a bit surprised when they first learn that their adolescent is struggling with depression. Kids can do a good job of masking their symptoms — until they’re overwhelmed. There are many potential causes and risk factors that can contribute to depression symptoms in adolescents. Most often, it’s a combination
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It’s not uncommon for adolescents and teens in Middle Tennessee to struggle with their mental health. Children in our state also face barriers to treatment, especially if they live in a rural area or if their insurance doesn’t cover mental health treatments. Nearly a third of children in Tennessee have a mental health diagnosis, and only
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While school avoidance is a behavioral problem, it most often has a root cause in a child’s emotional or social experience. They could be struggling with their work or the busy school environment. Or they may be experiencing trauma or anxiety from something that happened to them at school. Other times, it’s stress in a
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