• Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • RSS

Dad of Divas

One Dad's Quest to Regain Control of his Kingdom

  • About
  • Dads in the Limelight
  • Contests and Giveaways
  • Fatherhood
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
  • College Preparation
  • Disclaimer
  • PR/Advertising
  • Entertainment
    • Disney
  • Photo
  • Travel
  • Work With Me

What to Do if Your Teenager is Depressed

December 5, 2018 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

What to Do if Your Teenager is Depressed

Depressed teens are often going through a significant amount of emotional and even physical pain, but often don’t have any idea what to do to feel better. As a parent, you’re usually in the best position to get initial help and offer support to a teen who is going through depression. Identifying depression in your teenager and supporting them through it can be difficult for parents, particularly if you’re unsure how to react to them or have never been through anything similar, so you find it difficult to relate.

Depression in teens can often be very serious; it’s a mistake to wait and hope that it will get better on its own because more often than not, it doesn’t. Untreated depression can also quickly lead to other problems including substance abuse, difficulty overcoming illnesses, and behavioral issues. We’ve put together some helpful tips on what to do if you suspect your teenager may be depressed.

#1. Signs to Watch Out for:

Identifying depression in teens can be difficult, particularly as it can manifest itself in many ways. Plus, many parents struggle to determine whether their teen is simply acting out or withdrawing themselves due to hormones, or whether it’s down to a more serious issue. The key here is to keep open lines of communication with your teen and encourage them to tell you how they are feeling. Cyber bullying is quickly becoming a main reason for why suicide has become an epidemic amongst younger people. Make sure that your teen knows they can talk to you, and look out for signs such as withdrawing themselves more often, losing interest in hobbies that they once enjoyed, feelings of hopelessness or perceiving themselves as a burden, and difficulty caring for themselves or doing everyday tasks.

So, when is the right time to seek help? If you’ve noticed significant changes in your teen’s mood or behavior that have lasted more than a few weeks, it’s a good idea to seek professional help to try and diagnose the main reason behind the change.

#2. Which Treatments are Available?

There are several treatments available for teens who are going through depression. Usually, teen depression is treatable with therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Your doctor or mental health professional will be able to best evaluate your teen and come up with a plan that is likely to work depending on your teen’s personal needs and circumstances.

Whether or not your teen is offered medication to help combat their depression, encouraging them to talk to somebody about their issues will help. Oftentimes, teenagers can find it difficult to talk about their problems to people that they are close with but will be more likely to open up to a non-judgmental stranger. Therapy can be an outlet for your teen to voice their concerns and thoughts without any worry of their privacy and confidentiality being breached. This makes it easier for them to discuss issues that they may not be prepared to talk to with a parent or close relative.

#3. Educate Yourself:

If your teen is diagnosed with depression, the best thing for you to do is to educate yourself about depression so that you can get a better understanding of what they are going through. Make yourself available to your teen and ensure that they know they can talk to you about anything that might be bothering them. Understand that by talking to you, your teenager may not expect or even want you to provide a solution to their problems; sometimes the best thing that you can do is simply give them a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear whilst they try to figure it out for themselves. Support your teen’s daily routines and gently encourage them to develop healthy habits such as taking their medication, eating healthily, and getting plenty of exercise. Overall, make sure that your home is a comforting place where your teen feels safe and secure.

#4. Reassure Your Teen:

Often, what your teen will really need the most from you is plenty of reassurance. The chemical imbalance in the brain that results in depression can often skew the patient’s thoughts, opinions and beliefs about themselves and others around them in a negative way. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to see depression patients who feel that they are hopeless and worthless, convinced that they are a burden to others, and that everybody else will be better off without them. Make sure that your teen is consistently reminded and reassured that they are not a burden and that being depressed is nothing to be ashamed of.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst teenagers in the U.S. today. Understanding the signs, knowing how to get help for your teen and offering your support is important for helping your child to overcome mental health challenges.

Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: dad, dads, depressed, Depression, father, fatherhood, Mental health

Dads in the Limelight – D. Doug Mains

July 16, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Dads in the Limelight Series

Our 696th Dad in the Limelight is D. Doug Mains of DDougMains.com and  DaddingDepressed.com. I want to thank D. Doug Mains for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing D. Doug Mains with all of you.

D. Doug Mains of DDougMains.com and DaddingDepressed.com is the 696th Dad being spotlighted in the Dads in the Limelight series on the Dad of Divas Blog!

1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)

My name is D. Doug Mains, and I am a freelance writer at DDougMains.com and full-time blogger at DaddingDepressed.com.

After wandering through my twenties like a lost puppy, playing the hokey-pokey with education, and hopping from one payroll to another, I finally decided to pursue my lifelong dream of writing full-time. Having dealt with severe depression and anxiety, I stripped my life down to the studs and reevaluated the foundation. Friends, family, and my mental health became priority over status, position, and pay grade.

Now, I write, allowing me to serve my wonderful wife by staying home with our 10-month-old son, Isaiah.

D. Doug Mains of DDougMains.com and DaddingDepressed.com is the 696th Dad being spotlighted in the Dads in the Limelight series on the Dad of Divas Blog!

2) Tell me about your family

Having been married for three and a half years, my wife, Lindsey, and I can confidently say that we have marriage figured out (just kidding). Lindsey works year-round for a camp. Our 10-month-old son works year round as little man of the house. He looks like me but hints toward the personality of my wife. They’re both passionate, determined, and their favorite fingers are their pointers.

3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?

From the day he was born, I loved my son. I didn’t always like him. The first couple of months was emotionally exhausting and fearfully overwhelming. Sleepless nights, a new schedule, and feeling the weight of parenthood on my shoulders, I looked at my son cradled in my arms and often felt nothing. And though it was a pivotal time in seeking more aggressive help with depression, I don’t actually think that I am the only dad who has experienced such numbness. Few admit that it’s actually pretty normal for a parent, especially a dad, to take some time to warm up to a new baby and the extremely different lifestyle that comes with it.

D. Doug Mains of DDougMains.com and DaddingDepressed.com is the 696th Dad being spotlighted in the Dads in the Limelight series on the Dad of Divas Blog!

4) What advice would you give to other fathers?

Don’t be a dad from the couch. Humble yourself. Be a rug-burn dad, and get involved in your kids’ lives from the beginning. Live in the present, and let it be fueled by foresight. The future is made up of moments, and each one is an opportunity.

5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?

One of my biggest fears about parenthood was that I might lose touch with the outside world, including close friends, family, and personal interests. The key word in combatting this, I’ve learned, is intentionality. Nothing happens without it. Parent or not, friends, family, and personal interests require intentionality in order to deepen and to thrive. Also, in the most appropriate ways, we try to welcome Isaiah into our lives rather than putting our lives completely on hold.

D. Doug Mains of DDougMains.com and DaddingDepressed.com is the 696th Dad being spotlighted in the Dads in the Limelight series on the Dad of Divas Blog!

6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?

I want to surround myself with older guys–dads who have done it and can look back on successes as well as mistakes. Learning from them offers me perspective as I aspire to raise a healthy and caring man. The biggest thing I have learned from seeking such mentors is that relationships matter most. No matter who my son grows up to be, and no matter what he decides to do, he will always be my son, I will always love him and desire a relationship with him. It’s not about what he does, but it is about my love for him. I could give him all that he asks for, but what he most deeply needs is a relationship with his dad.

7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?

I’ve learned enough about fatherhood to know that I have a lot more to learn.

D. Doug Mains of DDougMains.com and DaddingDepressed.com is the 696th Dad being spotlighted in the Dads in the Limelight series on the Dad of Divas Blog!

8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?

I absolutely love to make my son laugh. I’m sure my humor will someday embarrass him so I’m soaking up my time as the comedian of the house for as long as he’ll allow me the microphone.

If you have any questions for D. Doug Mains, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!

Also, do you know a Dad in the Limelight? If so, please email me their contact information so that they too can be a part of this series!

Dad of Divas, dadofdivas.com

——————————————————————————————-
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Filed Under: Dads in the Limelight Tagged With: D. Doug Mains, dad, dads, dads in the limelight, Depression, family, family time, father, fatherhood, parenthood, tips for dads, tips for fathers

The Time Is Now To Ask For Help #ForMarc #maledepression

May 13, 2013 by dadofdivas 8 Comments

This past week we in the Dad Blogging world learned of the death of a fellow blogger and dad. This blogger was also someone that recently was spotlighted in my Dads in the Limelight Series (http://dadofdivas.com/dads-in-the-limelight/dads-in-the-limelight-limelightdads-marc-block-dadchat-dadstalking) . After his death many of us who did not know him learned about his struggle with depression which ultimately led to his death. Because of this many of us within this community decided to run a number of posts this week in memory of Marc and to talk about the issue of mental health and depression in men today.

 

What is sad is that  many men who are fighting  Depression or other mental illness never reach out for help (as Marc did) and fewer still follow through with the needed treatment that is out there. To often there is a stigma that is placed on depression that men and women want to hide from.

 

I for one have to say that I recognize how depression can impact the individual but the person’s family itself. This is a disease that is so pervasive in our society today, and so many people are not willing to admit that they need help.

 

The Oley Foundation posted some good tips for recognizing clinical depression in people:

Symptoms That May Alert You to Clinical Depression

The National Center for Mental Health Screening lists several symptoms that should alert you to the possibility of clinical depression. If you experience any of these symptoms for longer than two weeks, you should contact a trusted friend, clergy member, physician, nurse, or social worker:

  • loss of interest in things
  • feeling sad or blue
  • feeling worthless or guilty
  • being anxious or worried
  • having problems concentrating, thinking, remembering, or making decisions
  • feeling pessimistic or hopeless
  • thinking thoughts of death or suicide

 

Physical symptoms include:

  • trouble sleeping/sleeping too much
  • loss of energy/feeling tired
  • headaches/others aches and pains
  • digestive problems
  • weight loss/gain
  • sexual problems

Again, you should report symptoms of at least two weeks’ duration. Remember, depression is not your fault. It is not a weakness or laziness, nor does it stem from lack of will power. It is not easy to “snap out of it” on your own.

 

It is so important to be able to watch this in the people that you love. If this is pervasive, please reach out to help them in anyway that you can so that the person being effected can get the help that they need.

 

We do not need to lose any more of our friends, family, mothers, fathers, children!

 

Are you dealing with thoughts of suicide? Help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available anytime: 800-273-TALK [8255].

 

Related articles
  • Battling clinical depression with illustration
  • Are Older Adults Lonelier?
  • Depression is not a sign of moral weakness
  • Depression in Men: Symptoms and Physical Effects
Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: Depression, father, health, Mental disorder, Mental health

Find Me

Magoosh SAT




Archives


Christopher Lewis (@dadofdivas) - influencer profile on Dealspotr
dealspotr.com
Main Image

Coupons and voucher codes
Everywhere
The Network Niche

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in