Arellano University

Graduate School of Nursing

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing
TERM PAPER: Teenage Depression: A simple Fever or a dangerous disease?

Submitted by:
Mary Grace D. Estuya RN

Submitted to:
Dr. Remedios L. Fernandez

Date Submitted:
March 2015

INTRODUCTION
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome
it.(John 1:5)
Being a teen is not as easy as you think it is, as you grow older life
becomes more complicated. Sometimes, you get lost, you dont know what
do, and you dont know who to trust anymore and becomes confused which
path to choose. Youll find it hard to enjoy the things you once find
pleasurable to do. And then you realize, youre no longer happy. As time
passes by the feeling doesnt stop and then there will come a point that
youll discover something terrifying. Youre depressed.
Teen depression is a serious medical problem that causes a persistent
feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. It affects how your teen
thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and
physical problems. Although mood disorders, such as depression, can occur
at any time in life, symptoms may be different between teens and adults.
Issues such as peer pressure, academic expectations and changing
bodies can bring a lot of ups and downs for teens. But for some teens, the
lows are more than just temporary feelings they're a symptom of depression.
Teen depression isn't a weakness or something that can be overcome with
will power. It can have serious consequences and requires long-term

treatment. For most teens, depression symptoms ease with treatment such
as medication and psychological counseling.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In his book, A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression,

Gary Nelson uses his experience as a pastor and pastoral counselor to guide
the reader through an exploration of these and many other questions about
teen depression. Nelson has worked with many teens over the years offering
help to those who need themselves confronted by this potentially
devastating attacker. The author also uses the story of his own son's journey
through depression to weave together insights into the spiritual, emotional,
cognitive, biological, and relational dimensions of teen depression.
Three Fastballs down the Middle (of the Hallway): Looking at Teen
Depression from the Outside
Part of the difficulty in fighting teenage depression is being able to
identify it as it sneaks up on the teen. There is no one typical pattern that
depression follows. There are signs that may hint at the presence of
depression or a related illness, but the signs do not always coalesce into the
same picture. Some teens may live fairly normal public life and hide a private

hell. Others may publicly display the wounds inflicted by the monster in their
appearance and their actions. The truth is, it can be very difficult for the
average person to spot a teen who is suffering from depression or one of its
relatives. At times, its even difficult for professionals to spot these terrible
maladies. Thats why we need more public discussion and education around
depression and it related illness.
The subtlety and complexity of depression can make it difficult to spot.
However, there are other reasons depression in teens can continue without
being identified. Sometimes the untreated afflictions of the parents blind
them to the struggles of their child.
Its hard to tell sometimes if one of the symptoms is more from
depression or anxiety, since the two illnesses frequently occur in the same
individual. Many studies have shown that sleep disruption is a major issue
accompanying depression in teens and adults.
Other symptoms include difficulty concentrating, getting stuck on
certain thoughts, isolating from friends and family, lack of energy, change in
appetite, weight loss or gain, decline in academic grades, lack of interest in
normal pleasurable activities, experimentation with drugs or alcohol, interest
in high-risk activities, outburst of crying, sadness, acts of self-mutilation, or
even a sense of just feeling stuck or numb. Some teens may have lots of
each symptom might also vary from teen to teen.

When you look at the list, you can probably say, Doesnt everyone
experience many or even most of those feelings from time to time? Yes,
youre right. As a matter of fact, one of the problems we have today in
helping people understand more about depression is that we use the same
word, depression, to describe two different things. We use the same word
to describe the typical feeling that all of us experience from time to time as
well as the medical illness that were discussing in this book. This dual use of
the same word makes it very confusing for the depressed teen as well as
those around them trying to help.
Everyone feels depressed now and then. Its a typical human feeling.
Depression might accompany the death of a loved one or some other
significant loss. A major life transition like a move to a new city or going off
to college might also give rise to tis typical kind of depression. Sometimes
we just feel blue for no reason. These experiences of feeling depressed are
short lived, generally lasting for only a few days. Then were able to put it
away and go on. We feel better, more like our old selves again.
All my Bones Are Out of Joint (Psalm 22:14) Looking at Teen
Depression from the Inside
The Inside of depression is hard for teens and adults to describe and
understand. Sometimes there is some crisis or event that happens and the
person begins to feel very differently afterwards. Usually that kind of onset
makes it easier to understand the changes brought about by the illness. The

presence of a triggering event helps makes it more sense as to why the

depressed person feels so differently after the event. Its easier to
understand whats going on with the depressed person if feelings after the
event can be contrasted with feelings before the triggering event. For most,
however, the change brought by depression come on gradually and are
much trickier to describe. They cannot point to any event and identify it as
the trigger for their plunge into the valley of darkness.
When asked about the onset of their depression, a lot of teens can only
give vague answers. The depressed teens say they started to notice that
things just didnt come easily for them as they did at some earlier point in
their lives. Everything became more of a struggle. Making friends seemed to
take more effort. Following directions at home seemed more difficult. They
felt sluggish and were often accused of being lazy. It was harder not to get an
attitude. It became more difficult to be in a good mood. School became
more and more boring (the word almost every depressed teen Ive talked
with has used).
When depressed teens use the word boring to described school it
confuses adults. As adults, we know that lots of things we have to do in our
day-to-day lives are boring, but we still have to do them. We wonder why the
depressed teen doesnt grasp this concept. Why dont they just buckle down
and get it done, boring or not? Better yet, if theyre bored, lets give them
more things to do so they wont feel so bored.

I think the depressed teens have taught me that when they use the
word boring, they mean something a little different. Theyre trying to
describe a few difficult aspects of the depression. First, it becomes harder to
stay focused, even when thats exactly what youre trying to do. The mind
wanders more easily. Sometimes the depressed teens just completely zone
out. They dont really hear whats going on. Then they wake up at the end
of the class only to realize they dont know how to do what was just
explained. That means they wont be able to do the homework as easily,
which probably means it will be even more overwhelming.. which probably
means the homework wont be done at all. Then theyll be further in the
grade hole and have to struggle harder to make it up. Then theyll feel
overwhelmed by the struggle to dig themselves out of the grade pit, so
theyll shut down, do nothing and get deeper in the hole . . . and so on. . .
and so on. . .and so on.
Another part of the boring feeling is the sense of lethargy and
numbness that many experience who are fighting depression. It makes them
feel like theyre slogging through quicksand. They feel emotionally worn out
and physically tired or exhausted. Everything seems to take more and more
of the sparse supply of energy they possess. They can feel numb.
When youre numb from depression, nothing gets through. Thats true
for emotions, and sometimes even physical sensations. Thats why its easier
to engage in acts of self-mutilation. The depression numbs the pain. Even

when theyre doing something thats supposed to feel fun, the depressed
person cant feel it. They go through the motions, but fail to feel even the
good feelings.
Theres yet another part of depression thats very important to
understand. Depression changes how a person thinks. It doesnt mean that it
makes them crazy. On occasion, depression can become so severe that a
person might have delusional thinking, but not in most cases. Heres the best
way to describe what I mean about the change in thinking. Do you remember
the old question, is the glass on the table half empty or half full? according
to the old theory, if you see the glass as half full, it means you tend to be
more optimistic person. Conversely, if you see the glass as half empty, it
means you tend to be more pessimistic.
A teen who is depressed will always see the glass half empty, and
wonder why anyone could possibly think that it could ever be half full. In
other words, everything tends to be shaded by severe pessimism. I really
am terrible, worthless person. No one wants to be with me. No one
understands me. Theres no way I can do that. Ill never get what I want.
These are just a few examples of how the thinking process is distorted by
depression. In order to reach these teens, you have to be willing to recognize
that this distorted, pessimistic view really does represent how they perceive
the world. You cant simply tell them theyre wrong and expect them to

believe it. They dont see what you see. You see positive possibilities. The
depressed teen sees only negative impossibilities.
Depression also changes thinking in a way that alters the teens
experience of time. This change in thinking about time contributes to the
flood of despair in the depressed person. Aaron Beck, known by many as the
father of cognitive therapy, called this experience the cognitive triad of
depression. He divides time into the past, present and future. A person who
is depressed knows they feel awful in the present. The depression makes it
very difficult to remember past times that were good, so they have trouble
remembering a day when they havent felt the same awful depression. If the
past and present have been one long awful feeling, then obviously
(according to their depressed logic), tomorrow will be the same.
CONCLUSION