Depression in Teens

Surviving the teenage years has never been an easy journey. In today's world, there are even more challenges than just managing school pressures, growth spurts and hormone changes. Add depression into the mix and life can be truly challenging. With the introduction of social media and smartphones, those all important face-to-face conversations are happening less and less, which can lead to feelings of loneliness, isolation and ultimately to depression.

Feelings of moodiness caused by life’s ups and downs is nothing new to teens; however, depression is very different. It overwhelms every day normal activities, making it difficult to cope and enjoy life.

WHA is a health plan built on access and affordability. With this move, we’ve developed the right balance in our Pharmacy Benefits with OptumRx, enabling us to maintain options selected for clinical effectiveness, while still providing access to affordable medications and lower-cost alternatives. This also allows WHA to remain aligned with industry best practices and trends.

Mental Health Portal

Depression in Teens

For additional information, connect to our Mental Health Portal.

Consider how long these signs have been present, how severe they are, and if the behavior is different than usual. The more signs there are, the stronger they are, and the longer they’ve lasted, the more likely it is that depression is the cause.

Sadness or hopelessness
Irritability, anger or hostility
Tearfulness or frequent crying
Withdrawal from friends and family
Loss of interest in daily activities
Changes in eating or sleeping habits
Restlessness and agitation
Low self-esteem

Lack of enthusiasm and motivation
Fatigue or lack of energy
Difficulty concentrating
Unexplained aches and pains
Drug and alcohol abuse
Thoughts of death or suicide (seek help immediately)
Poor school performance

Everyday, many kids wake up dreading or are scared to go to school. Unfortunately, kids picking or shaming another child is nothing new. In fact, many adults have at least one memory of being bullied as a child, including celebrities. Do these names ring a bell? Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift, Mia Kunis, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, just to name a few, were all bullied growing up.

What is new today, thanks in part to social media, are the many ways there are to bully someone, along with the power to hurt each other even more. Bullying can lead to anxiety, depression, skipping school, and poor grades. As we've seen too often reported in the news, it can possibly lead to suicide, or violence if a teen thinks about revenge.

Fortunately, there is help. Parents, teachers, family doctors, friends and other family members can take action. Experts recommend the following positive steps we can take to address bullying.

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Depression in Teens