They won't accept it. For them, it's easier to express depression as anger or irritation. Other symptoms for adolescents include difficulty with relationships, behavior problems at home or school, a drop in grades and extreme sensitivity to rejection. You need to be a shrewd parent to differentiate. Fassler cautions that parents shouldn't assume depression is one more developmental phase and by ignoring it, it will go away.
Depression does often lift after several months if left untreated.
But it could mean problems later on, he says. The longer depression goes untreated, the sooner the next episode will occur and the more likely it will persist into adulthood. Parents can help by talking problems through with their children and hearing them out. School counselors can help, too. But if problems persist, a mental health counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist is the next logical step.