Young people are also susceptible to depression, but may lack the vocabulary or self awareness to accurate describe how they are feeling. As a result, for kids and teens, depression can contribute to internalizing and externalizing problems. This results in behaviors such as:
All of these childhood and teenage behaviors are linked to later mental health issues as an adult, so it’s important to treat them early.
For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why. And while it can suddenly go into remission, depression is not something that people can just “get over”.
Similar to other long-term illness such as diabetes, clinical depression can be effectively managed and controlled over a person’s lifetime. With proper diagnosis and treatment, the vast majority of people with depression will overcome it.