What Depression Looks Like In Teens & Young Adults
The transition period between being a child and becoming an adult can be nerve-racking. You may start to feel pressure from new responsibilities but are still being treated as a child by adults in your life. Major life changes or transitions can make you feel lost, and you may experience feeling or emotions you never felt before. Sometimes, this can even cause teenage depression.
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in young adults or teens. Symptoms of young adults’ depression may look different than when mental illness occurs later in life. Sadness or feeling like you need help is nothing to be ashamed about. Nearly 11% of young adults will experience depression. While that may not seem like a high percentage, one out of every ten young adults will be diagnosed with depression at some point. It may feel like you must fight this battle alone, or no one else knows how you feel, but people understand and want to help.
Although “depression” is a word commonly used in our social vocabulary it is a catch all word to describe/infer several distinct types of depression which, consist of various differing symptoms. Below are some of the more commonly understood depressive disorders and others that may not be as well known:
6 Types of depression
Major depression disorder
sadness occurring within a two-week period where functioning has significantly changed from previous levels. You may notice a loss of interest or pleasure and feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, changes in weight (loss or gain), changes in sleep patterns (more or less), and poor concentration.
Persistent Depressive disorder
symptoms of depression (as listed above) that last for at least one year in adolescents and two years in young adults.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
in the majority of menstrual cycles a week before menses feeling suddenly sad, increased sensitivity to rejection, irritability, tearfulness, anxiety, and lethargy. The symptoms start to improve within a few days after the onset of menses or become minimal or absent post-menses.
Substance/Medication-Induced Depressive Disorder
mood changes as a result of substance intoxication.
Perinatal Depression
a depression that is triggered by physical and hormonal changes during and after pregnancy.
Seasonal Affective Disorder/SEASONAL DEPRESSION
suffering from symptoms of depression during the winter months or when there is a decrease in natural sunlight.
Causes of young adult depression
There is no one cause of depression. However, we know that young adults and teens are faced with many life changes, like moving away from home for the first time or struggling with your identity. The life adjustments can lead to increased level of stress which can manifest into feelings of sadness, isolation, and loneliness. It is typical for anyone to experience "low" or "off" days. However, when these feelings persist, it can cause concern that there is something else going on. Often in adolescence and young adulthood, depression does not work alone. Other mental illnesses like anxiety or OCD may be diagnosed in tangent, which can worsen symptoms.
Adolescents that identify in the LGBTQ+ community are at an even higher risk of suffering from depression. In a 2022 national survey by The Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ youths reported experiencing symptoms of depression 58% of the time, and 45% had contemplated suicide this year. Challenges with depression may be due to oppression and discrimination at school or home. Teens in this community often do not feel heard or accepted for who they are or may not even feel safe enough to show their identity.
Adolescents who are frequently on social media may also be at a higher risk for developing depression. Social media presents an unrealistic version of people’s lives and teens looking at social media may feel like their lives are not as cool or fun. From 2010 to 2017, the rate of depression in adolescents increased by 57%. During this time, the rise of social media and influencers was also very prominent.
Common Symptoms of Depression
Everyone experiences depression differently, but there are common symptoms you may notice in yourself or others.
Anxiety
Sudden irritation or anger
Difficulty concentrating
Memory and decision
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies
Changes in sleep
Changes in appetite
A feeling of sadness or worthlessness.
Lack of energy
Aches, pains, stomach issues- depression can often manifest into physical problems.
Thoughts of self-harm and/or suicide
Symptoms of depression often work together. For example, if you are struggling with making decisions, like deciding where you want to go to eat, feelings of anxiety may arise. This anxiety may lead to simply not wanting to eat at all. Or a lack of energy and inability to get up in the morning may happen because you were restless the night before or felt like you did not need to sleep.
Depression symptoms experienced by teens are also different than symptoms experienced by adults. Adults are more prone to experience insomnia and are often sad or withdrawn. Teens with depression may experience irritability or anger. They also may begin to lose interest in afterschool activities, or their grades may significantly change. It’s important to recognize the differences between depression at different stages in life because it may help explain the sudden changes in someone’s behavior.
How therapy can help
The right counselor will help identify what type of depression you are experiencing and help you work through your experience. A counselor uses various techniques that can help alleviate the symptoms.
A common approach to treating depression is talk therapy. Talk therapy is done by talking to your counselor about your whats going on in your life. Your counselor may provide you with tools to help you work through problems or roadblocks you may be experiencing.
Asking for help or looking for treatment is challenging. But all it takes is one step. If you or your teen is experiencing symptoms of depression, it is essential to reach out to get the help you need.
DEPRESSION THERAPY FOR TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS IN CHICAGO, IL
Here at Obsidian, our therapists love what we do and we always do our best to give you the best we possibly can. Therefore, at our Chicago, IL, area therapy practice, we offer evidence based mental health services for adolescents struggling with depression and more. Additionally, we offer yoga therapy, which can also be done using online sessions. Lastly, it’s also important to note that our therapists are LGBTQIA+ affirming.
BEGIN THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION WITH A SKILLED THERAPIST
So, if you are ready to begin therapy and looking for a therapist who can use truly evidence based practice in counseling sessions, we can help. Please, take the steps below to get started with in person or online therapy sessions.
Fill out a contact form or by calling our counseling practice at (224) 255-4411.
Begin therapy sessions with a skilled teen therapist.
Start you depression and creating a life you desire.
You deserve to find true healing. Going to therapy is never easy, but it absolutely can help and you working with a therapist using evidence based practice gives you the best possible route to feeling better. So, don’t stay stuck where you are right now. Reach out for support. Our therapists are here to help.
4 Tips for Transitioning from High School to College
Congrats to you! Completing high school and moving on to college is an exciting time of life. There is newfound independence and opportunities to try different things. There are also new and challenging responsibilities. With so much change happening all at once, it is common to experience nervousness, hesitation, and anxiety at the mere thought of college. Managing these feelings can be difficult, but utilizing some important tips and tools is a good way to create a smooth transition.
Welcome to College
Congrats to you! Completing high school and moving on to college is an exciting time of life. There is newfound independence and opportunities to try different things. There are also new and challenging responsibilities. With so much change happening all at once, it is common to experience nervousness, hesitation, and anxiety at the mere thought of college. Managing these feelings can be difficult, but utilizing some important tips and tools is a good way to create a smooth transition.
4 Tips for Smooth Transitioning to College
1. Fine-tune time management skills. Time management habits gained thus far will need to be adjusted and/or enhanced. College will test your time management skills almost immediately. Adapting to a new type of school schedule coupled with studying and other activities is a critical component of a smooth transition.
2. Get involved. First off, make sure to attend class. It is not always easy to show up. Especially when taking attendance is not routine in most classes, particularly in large lectures. Attending class will help you become more comfortable with your peers and your surroundings. Additionally, joining clubs or extracurricular activities gives you opportunities to socialize and feel part of something.
3. Take care of body and mind. You are now responsible for feeding yourself. A major component of a healthy lifestyle is diet. Ensure you eat healthily. This seems like a simple thing, but so many times nutrition is forgotten. Also, exercise or engage in an activity that relieves stress and makes you happy. Having a healthy body and mind is crucial for success.
4. Use available resources when needed. You may need assistance adjusting to a new environment, or just managing emotions. Most colleges and universities have resources such as social workers, counselors, or other professionals with the experience and expertise in giving you the tools needed to succeed. Do not hesitate to seek out help if you exhibit feelings of being overwhelmed or overly anxious.
You Are Not Alone
It is very normal to experience homesickness and loneliness when starting college. Following the tips above is a good way to help combat those feelings. Remember that most of your cohort feels the same way and that you are not alone. Reach out to your support system or mental health specialists if needed. Starting college does not mean you have everything figured out and are fully ready to be on your own. It takes time and oftentimes requires help.
How Therapy Can Help
If you or a family member anticipate having a difficult time transitioning to college, attending therapy sessions prior may be something to consider. Therapy can help provide useful and constructive tools needed to adjust to new surroundings and a new way of life. The experienced team at Obsidian Counseling and Wellness is available to provide counseling and therapy to those who need some extra help adjusting to college life.
Therapy For Young Adults
Let’s Start with the gnawing, self reflective Questions, shall we?
What do I want out of a career?
What are my life goals and how do I achieve them?
Why do I not feel ready to live on my own?
How do I catch up with my friends and peers?
Who am I?
There can be so many questions! I know that is not an exhaustive list, but if you’re a young adult I don’t need to spell it out for you- you already get it.
Becoming an emerging adult can be scary and challenging and many young adults find themselves asking and relating to these very same questions. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is filled with rapid physical, cognitive and emotional changes. With many new roles and responsibilities, it is not surprising that young adults face lots of uncertainty.
Tough Transitions
With your newfound independence comes increased decision-making and accountability. As many young adults face big life transitions such as in their educations, careers, and social lives, their beliefs and values are tested by the introduction of new idea and identities. Yet, coming to terms with these transitions if often much harder than anticipated and continuously feeling unprepared or uncertain may lead to more serious mental health issues.
Emergence of Mental Health Issues
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, emerging adulthood is often accompanied by the emergence of mental health issues at faster rates than older adults. Young adults are particularly vulnerable to being diagnosed with the following issues:
Bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Substance abuse
Eating Disorders
Each of these diagnoses are challenging in different ways and require treatment that is unique to the individual’s lived experiences.
How Can Therapy Help
The therapeutic relationship between a young adult and a licensed mental health professional may be helpful for acclimating to new sets of expectations. A therapist can help in several ways:
Confidence & Motivation
To build confidence in your abilities and motivation to work towards to your goals
Improvements
Identify areas for improvement and determine how to better your circumstances
Understanding
Understand core values and beliefs
Relationships
Making and maintaining healthy relationships
Feeling that someone else can relate to and understand your struggles is critical to your progress in your new phase of life. A mental health professional can provide the acceptance and help you navigate when the roads get a little bumpy ahead.
CONSIDER YOUNG ADULT THERAPY IN CHICAGO, IL
Becoming an adult is hard work. Having someone impartial on your side to be your co-pilot in your new phase of life can be empowering. That’s why the online therapists at our therapy practice based in Chicago, IL, offer therapy directed at helping you find your way in life, whether it be questions regarding your career, education, or who you are as a person in Illinois via online therapy. We want to help you connect with yourself and begin healing from the comfort of your own home. Take the steps below to get started.
1. Fill out a consult form here.
2. Meet with a therapist to see if online therapy is a good fit.
3. Start connecting with yourself and experience the healing you deserve!
OTHER SERVICES AT OBSIDIAN COUNSELING AND WELLNESS
When you work with a therapist at our counseling practice in the Chicago, IL area, you will be met with compassion and authenticity. The team at our therapy practice feels honored to help guide folks along their healing process. Specifically, we help people address anxiety, trauma, and work stress. One of our more unique services is yoga therapy, which can also be done using online sessions. We also specialize in supporting LGBTQIA+ folks for a variety of issues. We hope that you take the leap to begin counseling with us. You deserve it.
Playful Tips From An Online Therapist Suggesting Recess for Adults
“A laughing body is an inhospitable host to negativity and stress” (Beilock, 2017).
Take a moment to think about the last time you went outside for a scheduled recess in school. The excitement of getting out of the fluorescent lighting and into the outdoors for unstructured play until the ring of the bell or the call of a teacher summoned you back inside. It's hard for me to remember myself. However, my 7th and 8th-grade middle school no longer had a playground, so I think that the scheduled play time started to ween off around that time.
The “Guilty Pleasure” That is Play For Adults
As adults, we rarely get time out of our schedules specifically for play as adults. Instead, it's something we must seek out. Play is often seen as childish, unproductive, and petty and often is vailed with terms such as guilty pleasure. Why must childishness be viewed as a negative? Tamis-LeMonda suggests that children have the right idea when it comes to playing. She states,
“They live in the moment. There doesn't have to be a final goal, and they play for the sake of play. The truth is, play is being joyfully immersed in the moment, and as adults, we rarely do that."
Can Play Benefit My Life?
This is true! Being fully immersed in the moment has excellent mental health benefits, as does play. Here are just some of the benefits of incorporating more play into your life:
Releases endorphins -happy chemicals- that make you feel good and elevate your mood
Decreases stress levels
Improves brain function
Improves your relationships
Stimulates your mind
Boosts activity
Increases Energy
What is Play?
Play is often challenging for people to pin down because it is not something that is precisely defined. Play is a mindset and a process rather than one form of activity. Play is voluntary and pleasurable. This is key to understanding why play looks different from person to person. For example, art is a form of play for many individuals; however, if one is commissioned to make a specific art piece for their occupation, this may move the activity outside of the realm of play for the professional artist. Another example is a soccer player playing for the game's challenge, enjoyment, and community versus a soccer player whose sole goal is to win.
Play is the mental approach to activities. The mindset of play often includes wanting to have fun and connecting to joy; the activity will look different from person to person.
A Very Short List of the Endless World of Play
Still, feeling stumped? Here are some ideas for play:
Play games
Board Games
Sports
Try creating games with those around you
A race to the end of the block
A game with a ball
Have a dance battle
Carve time out for a hobby
Crafts
Music
Photography
Collecting
Schedule time in a park
Joke with strangers
At the bus stop
In the checkout line
Play with a pet
Try a new recipe
Solve puzzles
Play with young people
Since we are borrowing a mindset from children, sometimes it helps to play with them to remember what it’s like
Be present
Do something fun with others
I can go on and on; think about what play looks like or can look like for you in your life.
The Benefits of Play; The Three C’s
Yolanda Tyler describes the benefits of play using three C’s:
Community
Play can strengthen our relationships, aid in developing the community, and strengthen our social wellbeing. Play in a community can take many forms, such as a game night with friends, a sports league, arts and crafts, and so much more. Early on, play is one of the first ways we connect with others; when we were younger, we would ask if we could "go play" with our friends. However, over time that language changes, thus removing the emphasis on play. Play reminds us of cooperation with others. There are rules that the community agrees upon to create the spaces in which the play can exist. Play and laughter are essential in building strong and healthy relationships.
Creativity
Play fosters an environment for one to be creative and problem-solve. Through play, our brain can explore new pathways that can lead us to different solutions, ways of thinking, and empathy that would not otherwise be possible without it. Play allows for a safe space to explore and think differently; this is essential to working and daily life. Seems counterintuitive, right? Sometimes to move forward when I'm stuck at work, I need to take a break to play. You might think you do not deserve it; however, setting up time in your day to think differently outside of the work context may just be your way forward.
Cognitive Development
As previously mentioned, play has been proven to improve brain function, stimulate your mind, and decrease stress levels. Through play, we can strengthen our thinking skills, as well as how to put various skills into practice. Empathy is another skill that is often practiced through play. Through play, one can experience a wide range of emotions in a protected environment, and those emotional regulation skills can translate into one's daily life.
Have I Convinced You To Play Yet?
Long story short, there are so many different reasons that one may benefit from play. While the amount of play each day may vary, a good goal is to incorporate a playful mindset in your day-to-day. Incorporating play into your daily life is an investment in your overall mental and physical well-being. Play is for everyone and most certainly is not a waste of time. So, the question is: What will your “recess” look like?
CONSIDER PARENT THERAPY IN CHICAGO, IL
Self-care and mental health are connected; sometimes, parental stress or burnout may become big enough that it may be hard to overcome on your own. In this case, it may be helpful to seek counseling. That’s why Bailey Seymour, Ilyssa Lasky, and the online therapists at our therapy practice based in Chicago, IL, offer therapy directed at increasing your confidence and helping you learn to play again in Illinois via online therapy. We want to help you connect with yourself and begin healing from the comfort of your own home. Take the steps below to get started.
1. Fill out a consult form here.
2. Meet with a therapist to see if online therapy is a good fit.
3. Start connecting with yourself and experience the healing you deserve!
OTHER SERVICES AT OBSIDIAN COUNSELING AND WELLNESS
When you work with a therapist at our counseling practice in the Chicago, IL area, you will be met with compassion and authenticity. The team at our therapy practice feels honored to help guide folks along their healing process. Specifically, we help people address anxiety, trauma, and work stress. One of our more unique services is yoga therapy, which can also be done using online sessions. We also specialize in supporting LGBTQIA+ folks for a variety of issues. We hope that you take the leap to begin counseling with us. You deserve it.