This is part of Red Flags, an Adolescent Depression Awareness Program, sponsored by the Ohio Department of mental Health and the Mental Health Association of Summit County. Until recently, it was thought that only adults suffered from depression. Research, however, indicated that depression can affect young people and even infants. Depression can be linked to biochemical changes in the brain. The good news is that depression is a brain disorder that can be treated.
Early intervention is the key to effective treatment and the prevention of long term problems.
It is estimated that eighty percent of children and teenagers with depression are not diagnosed and, therefore, go untreated. The following symptoms are behavioral signs which indicate that a young person may be in a state of depression. Parents who have a concern that their child may be experiencing depression can use this list to determine if professional intervention would be helpful. Specific examples of each behavior is helpful. For the majority of adolescents - no.