Symptoms of a Drug Prescription
Wellness ♥ Mom’s Story
Teen Depression Awareness
May 9, 2024 by Nikki and Anne Heart ♥ Mom’s Story: Teen Depression Awareness
Although we wrote this post together, we have chosen to present the following through Mom’s eyes.
Awareness about Teen Depression
As my daughter entered into her teen years, she experienced negative thoughts. Thoughts that were never really diagnosed nor treated appropriately by the professionals we sort help from.
So by the time she went away to college, those negative thoughts became so severe that she fell into a dark hole of depression.
From the beginning of Nikki’s college search, she was always excited to go away and never considered staying at home. She wanted and longed for her independence. And even though she knew as well as I did that she would have challenges, we never realized to what extent those challenges would be.
Upon entering into her first semester of college, my daughter not quite 18, began realizing how difficult her challenges were becoming, so I helped her find counselling to what we believed would get her through the adjustment period.
But to be frank, the counselors never really found the root of her depression.
Obviously, loneliness played a major role in my daughter’s depression. However, there were other factors that also played an even bigger role.
Factors causing Nikki’s depression
First, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD):
- From her early teen’s, Nikki experienced negative thoughts. Thoughts she thought were normal and some thoughts she was too embarrassed to discuss. These thoughts are part of her Obsessive-compulsive disorder which was never adequately treated nor diagnosed.
- Since OCD can make a person very ritualistic, change can bring on severe negative thoughts leading to depression as it did with my daughter.
Second, Chemical Sensitivities:
- Being a 5 foot, barely 100-pound track athletic working towards competing as a hurdler, she did everything she could to accomplish this which included strenuous workouts leading to excessive pain. With this pain came over-the-counter pain medicine and ointments.
- Unfortunately, it took years to find out that my daughter has chemical sensitivities which causes both physical and mental negative effects.
Third, Diet:
- Another factor in Nikki’s depression was her diet or lack of a healthy diet. Consuming all kinds of fast foods as any normal college student does added to Nikki’s depression.
- My daughter was diagnosed years later with a glutamate problem. She is required to eat gluten free, organic foods only.
Fourth, Prescribed Medications:
- An additional factor of my daughter’s depression and other health issues was being exposed to numerous pharmaceutical medications including prescribed antibiotics and allergy products such as singulair.
- Singulair, a prescription allergy medication can cause depression.
Realization about Teen Depression:
- Talking about depression can be difficult for both the teen as well as the adult seeking help for the teen
- Depression is common and very real
- It is more than just teen moodiness
- Often the route of the depression may be difficult to see
- There are different types of depression
- Each individual can be affected differently by a type of depression
Types of treatment for Teen Depression:
- Psychotherapy, known as talk therapy
- Medication (All pros and cons should be discussed with your healthcare provider as well as carefully researching all medication as a part of your treatment plan)
- Implementing self-care techniques is important
Recognize: Everyone is different. Each treatment plan should be personalized to the individual. What works for someone may not work for someone else.
Self-care for Teen Depression:
- Healthy diet
- Exercise
- No consumption of alcohol or recreational drugs or limit use, even if legal
- Limit social media
- Do not isolate
- Have a hobby for fun and not just competition
Let’s do more…
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
MAY 2024
Access a Digital Toolkit for Mental Health Awareness Month at the National Institute of Mental health.
Learn More ♥ Live Healthier
Visit some more of our pages....
Teen Depression
Basic Tips for Depression
Hidden Triggers
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Note: All information in “Nikki’s Story” are based on detail journals covering seven years of Nikki’s life on prescription drugs.
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