How Serious Is Teen Depression?

Posted in Teen Psychology on September 8th, 2011 by admin – Comments Off

teen psychologyTeen depression is not different from adult depression. It is not just a mere act of rebellion or an exaggeration of sad emotions. Like the one affecting adults, this type of depression can also be a serious psychological condition which can bring about severe consequences in their lives. Teenage years are the time for exploring and identifying one’s personality. With depression, it makes it harder for them to decide who and what they want to become in their lives.

A lot of factors can cause teen depression. The most common reason is peer pressure. This happens when they cannot achieve what is expected of their peers from them or when they face consequences in life for following after their peers. Failure in their academic responsibilities or the pressure they feel when their parents tell them they should excel can also make them feel depressed. With the influence of media and celebrities, body figure and the way they perceive themselves can also put them at risk for this condition. Depression can be hereditary. When they have a family member who has undergone or is suffering from depression, they may also experience it. Traumatic events such as accidents, abuse or loss of a loved one can make them feel depressed. read more »

How Acne Can Affect a Teen’s Social Life

Posted in Teen Psychology on September 7th, 2011 by admin – Comments Off

teen psychologyAcne usually first rears it’s ugly head during the teen years. The main reason for this is because of the onset of puberty and the hormones that are being released in the body at this time. So remember it is the hormones in the body that causes the acne not the chocolate or greasy foods that they are eating. That is just a myth.

Once the body starts to produce hormones it causes the oil glands in the skin to be over active. This extra oil then will combine with the dead skin cells and then the pores become clogged because of this. This is how the bacteria will get in and get trapped and will then begin to irritate the skin and cause what we know as pimples, black heads and white heads. There are times when the pimples won’t develop with a white head or black head and will just swell and be a red and sometimes painful bump. Generally though the pimple will fill with pus and will be white tipped, the common pimple that we all hate and dread.

The physical effects of acne manifests as red blotches and inflammations of the skin. The blemishes can sometimes get so bad that they can get infected and even in the end leave the skin of the person scarred for life. A lot of the bad problems with acne however are from bad habits that a person has when it comes to their personal skin care. Some of those habits are when teens scrub their skin way too hard which irritates the skin even more or they will pick at or pop the pimple. Using makeup and hair products that are oil based are also a contributor in making the acne worse. These things should be avoided if they don’t want the acne to spread. read more »

Stress Management For Teens

Posted in Teen Psychology on September 6th, 2011 by admin – Comments Off

teen psychologyTeens experience stress no differently than adults. They can in fact be more susceptible to stress, owing to the fact that they’re going through a stage where everyone and everything they encounter is a new thing. Normally, a manageable amount of these encounters can result in just enough stress, which is a good thing — it lets the teen learn to cope with the different “curveballs” that life throws at them.

However, a little too much of it and the teen suffers from stress overload. This obviously is an event that should be avoided, as it can cause various negative effects on the teen’s physical, psychological, and mental development.

Perhaps the most common stressor for the average teen is school. The teen may be stressed by having too many projects at one time, or by having to go through several difficult subjects day after day. Engaging in more activities than the teen can handle can also be too stressful. Even transferring schools can prove to be a very stressful period for the teen.

The teen’s circle of friends may also cause stress overload. Many teens feel the crush of peer pressure at some point in their development, and may cause them to come into conflict with some of their friends. These can lead to further stressful stimuli, such as read more »