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Dealing with a teen's depression is a serious concern. Some people have a hard time seeing the difference between a teenager's usual moodiness and real depression that leads to serious issues such as suicidal thoughts. According to surveys done by CDC on suicides, about 13.8% of high school students have seriously considered committing suicide. About 6.3% admitted to actually trying to commit suicide. There are also 100-200 failed attempts to 1 completed suicide act.

Among young people aged 15-24 years of age, suicide is the third leading cause of death. About 12.2% of annual deaths in this age bracket is caused by suicide. Those that survive their suicide attempts report serious physical injuries like poisoning, medicine overdose, burns, cuts, and others. The likelihood of committing suicide is increased when young people have access to guns (about 60% of all suicides committed in the country are done by using guns, especially those found inside homes).

When somebody struggles with depression, suicidal thoughts become a real concern. This is especially true for teens who have no means to alleviate their emotional pain. While adults may be able to afford different ways to cope with their stress (focusing on their jobs, going out shopping, going away on a trip, etc), teens are financially dependent on their parents. Their options on helping themselves are more limited. Teens are also more exposed to bullying, which puts them at more risk of depression.

Many times, parents don't realize that their teens are silently crying out for help and showing signs that there's something terrible going on underneath that moody, grumpy, teenager facade. Some of the most common signs of depression include feeling unusually fatigued all the time, forgetfulnes, pessimism, insomnia, persistent sad feelings, and others. In teens, this could translate to aggression, showing uncontrolled anger and rage, overreacting to criticisms directed towards them, defying authority, losing interest in activities they used to love doing, and others.

It's not unusual for depressed teens to act out in some ways that take their mind off their deep feeling of sadness. They may become sexually promiscuous, engage in dangerous activities, or start abusing substances. They do this in order to numb the pain they are feeling, but in reality they just create new problems and destroy the relationships they have inside and outside their home.

The best time to act is when your teen shows signs that there is something bothering them. The sad truth is that young people these days can face so much opposition in so many ways; ways that their parents probably didn't need to contend with during their time. These days, it's easy to snap a humiliating photo and within minutes, have the photo available for the whole school to see. They face intense social pressures and their struggles can happen in a very public setting (i.e., on the Internet). The sad reality about this is that parents are oftentimes the last ones to know about the struggles of their teens.

To help teens overcome depression, parents must see teenage depression as something real and not "a phase" that teens eventually grow out of. Here are a few tips to start parents out:

Pay attention - Most teens who commit suicide because of their depression have hinted to their parents or other family members about it. These hints may be jokes about dying, comments during fights about how everybody else will be better off without them, or giving their most prized possessions away to their friends or other siblings. Being alert to changes in habits can be valuable too. Changes in sleeping and eating patterns may be indicative of depression as well. Asking your teen about it may not immediately result to them opening up and confiding their problems, but it's a great way to start telling teens that their parents see them and are concerned about them. Oftentimes, parents need to rely on gut feelings in detecting the inner struggles of their children. If you feel something's wrong, there may actually be something wrong.

Get involved - Teens may not actually talk about their feelings when you approach them, but parents do have a better chance of convincing their teens to talk if they set a home environment conducive to it. Telling teens that you see their struggles and want to know more about it will send the message they need; that you care about them and they matter to their family.

Ask around - If your teen is showing very concerning behavior and the symptoms of depression are getting worse, it's best to ask people who may know more about it than you do. Talk to your teen's teachers, school counselor, and especially their friends to know whether there's something concerning happening to your teen at school.

Consider therapy - Try to talk to your teen and help them become open to therapy. During therapy sessions, teens can learn more about why they feel the way that they feel, and they can do something to change it. If the depression is clinical, you can at least consider medication as an option. At times, teens don't fully understand why they are having the emotional reaction that they are having towards their situation. Going to therapy can be an enlightening experience that could start them down the path of recovery.