How To Know If People Don’t Understand Teen Depression – Therapist Guide

Dealing with a chronic illness such as scoliosis is already devastating for most teens. But with the condition accompanied by teen mental health and emotional struggle, the whole experience can become a total disaster.

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Depression In Silence

Teenagers dealing with depression often talk about how they feel stuck in a situation that locks them alone in a specific area. They compared it to a maze that is impossible to get out of. Often, they discuss their thoughts and feelings with others, but they can’t genuinely get the help they need because they lack the ability to trust. Eventually, they begin to like the dark place they are in, and that’s quite alarming because it would be difficult to help them in that critical state.

A lot of teenagers do not have that ideal support. Often, they are faced with individuals unaware of their condition that gets confused whenever they show unusual behaviors. Usually, these people dismiss and ignore their situation, thus making it worse. It becomes more difficult for them to seek assistance. They become more confused, lonely, and devastated.

How To Know If People Don’t Understand The Situation?

Not Letting Teens Seek Professional Help

Teenagers coming to terms with their mental health disorder and realizing they are currently unsupported by the people they trust can negatively impact recovery. It ruins their remaining hope of getting better. Since it takes a lot of courage and strength to deal with a mental illness, teenagers not given an opportunity to seek medical treatment or professional advice might handle it differently. It can extremely cause unfortunate consequences and may result in suicide or self-harm.

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Telling Teens, It’s Nothing, And They Are Fine

One thing that ruins teenagers’ ability to engage and trust the people around them is when they try to reach out, and these people shut them down. Teenagers might subtly explain or show their emotional and mental crisis, but when the people around them do not care and insist they are fine, teens may feel the need to invalidate the negative emotions. As a result, they will start feeding their minds with depleting thoughts and negatively encouraging themselves that what they are dealing with is nothing and does not require attention.

Considering The Condition As An Act Of Rebellion

People who don’t understand the situation often tell teens that they only use their mental condition to act out the way they want. Most individuals unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms of depression often see it as a form of rebellion. They do not take teen depression seriously. These unbelievable people are using teenagers’ struggles to convince others that they are just kids seeking attention. It creates a long-term effect as teens would have problems with isolation, alcohol and drug abuse, self-harm, bullying, and other self-destructive behaviors.

 

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Starting To Make A Joke Out Of It

Most times, people do not care enough to understand a situation. And when mental health is a concern, they often make fun of or joke about it because there’s not enough evidence to convince them that it is currently on the teenagers’ plate. It is entirely dangerous because it leaves teens with serious and untreated mental health disorders. It’s more likely to spiral into something that hurts the kids and other people. The idea of joking about other people’s mental disorders and using them for entertainment can cause teens to build resentment that can damage connections and relationships.

Having A Hard Time Adjusting To The Changes

Teenagers struggling with depression may view the world differently. They might not care about themselves or not engage with peers anymore. They may even hate the things they once loved. When people around them feel upset about the changes and start blaming the teens for making it difficult for them to adjust, they are not worthy of being around. They will only make the teenagers’ depression even worse. These people won’t compromise as they only want to direct attention to themselves and make the whole situation about them. It’s sad because it leaves depressed teens unsupported.

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Not Wanting To Learn About The Condition

Depressed teenagers choose not to seek professional help because not everyone around them is willing to engage and learn about their condition. These individuals are often hands-off in assisting. Perhaps that is because they do not want to carry the burden of thinking about how to help their loved ones and do not want to suffer the way their kids do. A selfish act as it is. They do not want to acknowledge that they need a better understanding of the situation because mental health disorder is imagination and not their teens’ reality.

Sadly, some teens feel unsupported when all they wanted was help from the people around them.

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