Depression in adolescents

You may feel depressed, sad, or even desperate from time to time. This is basically normal, just like it is for adults.

However, if the despair or sadness persists and is more intense than usual, depression could be the cause. In this case, it's especially important to find people you trust, with whom you can honestly talk about yourself.

There can be many triggers: trouble with parents, bad grades at school, or the loss of friendships.

Dissatisfaction with yourself and your own body, or heartbreak. Sometimes that's very difficult. Problems and difficult situations can darken your mood. That's normal in such situations. However, depression is more than just "not in a good mood" or "feeling bad today." It can become more severe and develop into a serious problem.

Depression often has multiple causes. These can be identified together and solutions found.

They usually arise from a combination of psychological factors, biological processes in the body and experiences in the social environment.

Not all of these factors can be influenced—but you can certainly learn to better deal with the challenges in your life. This can protect you from depression.

Spontaneous help for you:

- Go outside. Set a goal for yourself, like eating ice cream or buying something nice. Or go for a walk in nature.

- Start a new sport or hobby. What have you always wanted to try?

- Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Why am I sad? Remember, it's just a mood; tomorrow you'll feel different again.

- Listen to music or do music therapy. It will help you gain more self-awareness and process your emotions better.

- Talk to someone you trust. Be honest.

- Get professional help and talk about your feelings. It will definitely help you.