Depression is a complex condition that affects many aspects of a person's life, including their thoughts, actions, and decisions. It can sometimes occur during childhood or adolescence, a time when young people face many changes and pressures. Depression symptoms may include losing interest in normal activities and changes in one’s sleep and thought patterns.
The Causes of Depression in Kids and Teens is an educational resource that explains six reasons why clients might experience depression. It covers the challenges young people face, brain function, thought patterns, personality traits, behaviors, and genetics. Each cause is paired with specific examples to make the information easy to understand and relatable for clients.
Learning these causes can break myths and help kids and teens better understand depression. To supplement their learning, caring adults can recommend other resources, such as books or articles on depression.
Adults can also play an important role by initiating regular conversations, either in person or over the phone, to check in and observe any signs of depression.
This handout pairs nicely with our Understanding Causes of Depression worksheet.
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Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of depression worksheets and handouts.
References:
- Bhowmik, Debjit & Kumar, S. & Srivastava, S. & Paswan, Shravan & Dutta, A.S.. (2012). Depression-symptoms, causes, medications and therapies. Pharma Innov.. 1. 32-45.
- Hankin, B. L. (2006). Adolescent depression: Description, causes, and interventions. Epilepsy & Behavior, 8(1), 102–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2005.10.012
- Achterbergh, L., Pitman, A., Birken, M., Pearce, E., Sno, H., & Johnson, S. (2020). The experience of loneliness among young people with depression: A qualitative meta-synthesis of the literature. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02818-3
- Georgakakou‐Koutsonikou, N., & Williams, J. M. (2017). Children and young people's conceptualizations of depression: A systematic review and narrative meta‐synthesis. Child: Care, Health and Development, 43(2), 161-181. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12439
