Depression is one of the most common mental health issues in the United States. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, background, education, or culture. But can the types of depression affect a teenager in different ways? In short, yes. But there is one common effect – depression in any form can seriously impact a teen’s life.1
The feelings of hopelessness and sadness caused by depression can be difficult to manage alone. However, depression in teens can also lead to issues such as relationship problems, trouble focusing at school, and negative thoughts about yourself, others, and the world around you.
The teenage years can feel tough, but you should never feel hopeless. If you or someone you care about is experiencing signs of one of the types of depression, know that you are not alone. Help and support are available to you – regardless of the type of depression you might have.
This article aims to help you better understand the different forms of depression and their treatment, including when to seek help for depression in teenagers.
The following are the most common types of depression in teenagers.
Major depressive disorder is the most common form of depression. You may have heard it called “major depression” or “clinical depression,” and it involves symptoms such as a persistent low mood or loss of interest in activities. Major depression lasts for at least two weeks at a time and interferes with daily activities.1
The signs of major depressive disorder can vary from mild to severe and involve emotional and behavioral symptoms. These include:
We provide more information on therapy and medication options in the section “Therapy Options for Depression in Teens.”
Persistent depression, once known as “dysthymia,” is considered to be the second most common form of depression. While its symptoms are similar to those of major depression, they tend to be less severe – but last for much longer. Persistent depression lasts for two years (or longer), is experienced for most of the day, and for more days than not.3
In other words, a teen with persistent depression will have mild or moderate symptoms that don’t go away. These include:
Treatment for Persistent Depressive Disorder in Teens:
Similar to major depression, treatment for persistent depressive disorder in teens often involves talk therapy or medication – or a combination of both. We discuss treatment options in more detail after the different forms of teen depression.
Although bipolar disorder is associated with depression, it’s about more than experiencing severe low moods. People with bipolar mood swings also get extreme “highs” in emotions. These low and high moods are much more intense than regular good and bad moods and are called “mania” and “hypomania” – and they can seriously impact a teenager’s life.
Bipolar disorder commonly starts during adolescence. When it begins as early as this, it can have even more long-term impacts on a teen’s life, such as major and persistent depression – highlighting the need for early support.4
The symptoms of bipolar disorder in teenagers can vary. Some teens might get more highs than lows, while others may experience the reverse. Plus, some teens with bipolar disorder may have “mixed episodes” in which they experience mania and hypomania at once, potentially creating confusion and even more difficulty coping with emotions.4
Having said as much, the common signs of bipolar disorder in teens include:
In addition to these symptoms of bipolar disorder in teens, a teen may demonstrate “rapid cycling” – when moods shift between highs and lows in a relatively short space of time. If a teen experiences rapid cycling of moods, they may be at higher risk of long-term complications, so they might require immediate professional intervention.5
As with other forms of depression in teens, treatment for bipolar disorder often involves a combination approach. This means that both talk therapy and medication can help with the management of bipolar disorder – however, the types of medication sometimes differ from those used in other forms of depression.6 Your doctor will be able to advise you about the best ways to treat bipolar disorder for you. We also discuss talk therapy options below.
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a relatively new addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Once commonly misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, DMDD is now understood to describe a form of depression in which children and teenagers show frequent outbursts of anger and ongoing irritability.7
As the signs of DMDD include temper tantrums and outbursts of aggression that are out of proportion to the events at hand, teens with DMDD may also experience issues such as:
Additionally, since these issues are often persistent and ongoing, teens with DMDD who don’t receive timely support may experience mental health issues into adulthood, such as major depression.7
As with other forms of depression, a combination of talk therapy and medication is often advised for the treatment of DMDD in teens. If you’re concerned that you or someone you know has DMDD, we discuss these options below in the section “Therapy Options for Depression in Teens.”
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that can come and go with changes in seasons. For most teens with SAD, a low mood comes during the winter months when the days are shorter and there’s less sunlight – hence why SAD is sometimes called “winter depression.”
It’s believed that SAD happens because of disruptions to the hormones that regulate the sleep-wake pattern, making it harder for teens to adjust and leading to low mood, sleep problems, and behavior issues.
SAD commonly starts to affect people during childhood and adolescence, but as it tends to be underreported, could be more widespread than many realize.8 However, for clear reasons, teens who live further away from the equator may be more at risk of developing SAD.
The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder in adolescents include those associated with major depression, such as low mood, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and exhaustion. Yet, these symptoms often go away during the summer months.
Talk therapy has proven to be an effective method of treatment for teens with SAD. However, antidepressants, light therapy, and vitamin D have also been shown to help both prevent and treat SAD.9 A health professional can advise you on the best method of treatment for you.
Atypical depression in teens is when teenagers have depression but show signs that aren’t typically associated with it. Atypical depression doesn’t mean that the condition is “odd” or “abnormal” – just that its symptoms often don’t align with what people expect.
While both atypical depression and major depression involve low mood and loss of interest, people with atypical depression can experience an uplift in mood in response to certain events. For instance, while someone with atypical depression may feel positive and excited about an upcoming party, someone with major depression would feel consistently low. This response in atypical depression is known as “mood reactivity.”10
Additionally, aside from the common signs of depression, atypical depression includes symptoms such as11:
Treatment for Atypical Depression in Teens:
Treatment for atypical depression is similar to that for major depression in that both talk therapy and medications can help. We discuss these options in more detail below.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD) only affects those who are assigned female at birth and is different from and more severe than the common signs of premenstrual syndrome.
PDD can start around two weeks before the menstrual cycle and involves symptoms of depression, but it usually eases a couple of days after the start of the cycle. The signs of PDD can be similar to those of premenstrual syndrome, but to be diagnosed with PDD, someone needs to show a wide range of symptoms that cause significant distress and impact life in a variety of ways. In other words, people with PDD have a disruption to their emotions, behaviors, and quality of life for around half the month.12,13
While premenstrual syndrome affects roughly 30% of the population who menstruate, PDD impacts up to 12% of this population. Although PDD is still underresearched, it’s thought that it might be caused by increased sensitivity to imbalanced hormones during the menstrual cycle.13
PDD is often treated with hormone therapy, antidepressant medication, and lifestyle changes such as to the diet. However, as PDD can impact a teen’s emotional and mental health, talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy are often recommended by health professionals.
Depression, of any form, can have serious impacts on a teenager’s emotional and physical health and quality of life. It can affect how they see themselves and the world around them, as well as their ability to learn and relationships. For these reasons, if you suspect that you or someone you love has a form of depression, it’s important to seek support.
Early diagnosis and treatment can pave the way for an optimistic present and future for a teen with depression. You can start this process by speaking to a health professional for guidance.
Treatment for depression in teens will depend on a number of factors, including their:
CBT is effective for different types of depression in teens as it can help identify and understand negative thoughts. It can also target how to challenge these thoughts, build healthy ways of coping with them, and transition these skills into the world outside of therapy.
If previous experiences, such as trauma, are contributing to a teen’s symptoms of depression, EMDR can help them process these in a safe, supportive environment. EMDR changes the way trauma is stored in the brain and helps a teen build more positive self-beliefs and ways of coping with life’s challenges.
This form of therapy helps teens understand how problems in relationships can contribute to their feelings – and how to work through these issues. Interpersonal therapy can also help a teen figure out the issues behind behaviors and how to manage these for better mental health.
Each of these therapies can be used to treat different types of teen depression in both residential mental health treatment programs and outpatient programs, depending on a teen’s needs.
In addition to talk therapy, a health professional may recommend a form of medication based on the type of depression you or a loved one has, as well as your symptoms and age. These include:
Different forms of teen depression can affect life in a variety of serious ways, including impacts on self-beliefs, beliefs about others and the world around them, relationships, and school performance. Without treatment, depression’s effects can last for weeks, months, and even years. Further, depression has been linked with other mental health conditions, which can worsen its effects.
For these reasons, if you or someone you know is experiencing a form of depression, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible. Asking for support is a sign of strength – it takes courage to recognize that you can’t do everything by yourself.
Mission Prep’s team of trained mental health professionals offers comprehensive and individual depression treatment for teens in various locations. We understand that different types of depression in teenagers can have varying effects, so we help by creating a treatment package that caters to each teenager’s specific needs. With time and support, it is possible to cope with depression and plan for a positive future. Contact us today for support and advice.
Find out if Mission Prep is right for you by reaching out to us and speaking with one of our admissions representatives.
