Family and Social Environment:

For some teens, a negative, stressful, or unhappy family atmosphere can affect their self-esteem and lead to depression. This can also include high-stress living situations such as poverty; homelessness; and violence in the family, relationships, or community.
Substance use and abuse also can cause chemical changes in the brain that affect mood-alcohol and some drugs are known to have depressant effects. The negative social and personal consequences of substance abuse also can lead to severe unhappiness and depression.

Teen Depression
If you are the parent of a teenager, then you are likely already aware of the many dangers of depression. Teen depression is a pretty common occurrence and it can affect anyone. If you have children, you need to inform yourself about teenage depression so you can try to prevent it and look out for it with your teens. Symptoms of Teen Depression Some common symptoms of teen depression are:
♣ Frequent sadness
♣ Crying, often for no reason
♣ Withdrawal
♣ Refusal to eat or over-eating
♣ Feelings of hopelessness
♣ Talk of death or suicide
♣ Obsession with death and suicide Causes of Teen Depression
There are different causes for teen depression.
The teen years are hard for anyone and with pressures from friends, school and parents, it can sometimes get to be too much. If this is combined with drug or alcohol use, it is almost always a recipe for depression.
A depressed teen may have problems at home or get picked on at school. Sometimes the depression may come from another problem such as an eating disorder, addiction or medical condition. Some teens just need to eat a better diet and get more rest. Help for Teen Depression
There are different treatments for depression but teen depression should not be treated the same as depression in adults. There are medications available to help with depression but typically, it is not needed or only needed for a temporary amount of time. Teen depression involves knowing what is causing the depression and counseling. Getting to the root of the problem is often all it takes to help a teen with depression.
As the parent of a depressed teen, it’s important that you try to understand your teen, listen to him and try not to be accusing.

Try to respect your teen’s opinions and problems and not try to blame yourself. You need to understand that being a teenager is hard and your child is justified in their feelings even if you may not agree or understand.
When you realize this, you can help your child. And remember to give lots of love and support and encouragement.