They may express their belief that their plight will never change and they may feel their future holds no bright promise. These feelings can cause teens to lose interest in favorite activities such as sports, clubs, reading, art, etc. While it is normal for teens to outgrow some activities, the depressed teen will not replace these activities with new interests. Sometimes these deeply sad and hopeless feelings lead to thoughts of death, suicide or self-mutilation. These are signs of serious depression and must never be ignored as a passing phase.
Depression causes decreased energy and social isolation.
The teen may have difficulty with motivation. But the depressed teenager will have difficulty summoning the energy to perform the activities they enjoy, as well as the activities the parent assigns as chores. The teen may feel tired all the time because sleep disturbances are also a sign of depression. Because depression can cause low self-esteem, teens may be overly sensitive to what they perceive as rejection or failure. They may feel as if they are insignificant and become irritable, taking out their misery on family members via verbal, emotional or physical abuse.