You're learning new social roles, developing new relationships, getting used to the changes in your body, making decisions about your future. And when you're looking for answers to problems, it can seem like no one has them. That can make a person feel quite alone. Too often, as the daily news tells us, the search for answers to these challenges is complicated by problems outside teens' control, such as divorce, family alcholism, domestic violence or even sexual abuse. Or they will express their rage and frustration in acts of violence or destruction.
Depression is also a very common illness among teenagers.
The feelings of helplessness and worthlessness that can accompany it, along with disturbances in sleep or apetite, can fuel a downward spiral of health and grades, further clouding perspective, making even thought seem intolerably difficult. If you are suffering situations and feelings like these, you may need some extra help to hold on. If you're depressed or angry, if you're abusing substances to hold back the pain or to feel like you fit in, its vital that you try to break through the feeling of isolation you may have and talk your feelings over with someone, preferably a mental health professional. It's vital that you break through the isolation because studies have shown that teens who are feeling depressed, abusing substances or acting out their violent feelings are at high risk for suicide. What To Look For Everyone has normal mood swings in which he or she occasionally feels sad.