Depression is more common than previously believed among adolescents.
However, for some teens this is a more serious problem, and they can even turn suicidal. Adolescents with depressive illness feel sad and may consistently understand their plight as hopeless. They may not be comforted by relationships with family and friends. Adolescents with a depressive illness will frequently show poor concentration, extreme difficulty in self-starting, striking changes in thinking and behaving, often times trouble sleeping through the night and changes in their eating patterns. They may feel tired, dragged out, or conversely, have excessive nervous energy.