Teenagers
“Fake depression is all this is.” “They’re just acting out.” “They aren’t really depressed.” “They don’t have anything to be depressed about.”
As parents and other caregivers, it’s often easy to slip into this line of thinking. After all, depression is a complicated condition and can manifest itself in very different ways.
However, it is dangerous to assume that your teen’s depression is fake, and you might end up doing them a major disservice.
Fake depression
Lots of people know about the symptoms of depression like overeating, sleeping too much, lack of concentration, and more. So, maybe you suspect they’re just faking depression for some reason. The symptoms seem exaggerated or unbelievable, perhaps. Or one minute they seem fine and the other they seem depressed.
Assuming It’s not depression even if you think it. However, jumping to this conclusion is not a good idea. There are many reasons that someone’s depression symptoms are inconsistent and even ‘faked’ symptoms could be a sign of an underlying issue. What’s more, people with mental health problems often learn very quickly to mask their symptoms so they can get through the day and have normal social lives. So, it might be hard for the people in their lives to identify that something is wrong
signs of fake depression
Your children may be on social media expressing how sad they feel. She or he is often acting in an exaggerated way for the likes. So we think. Every day new changes and stories making up sign of medical issues and attention seeking behaviors. On the other hand, your child could be harboring hidden trauma that they are afraid or unable to share with you. And you may be seeing symptoms of depression and overlooked it.
Depression is a mental illness that is to say mental illness should not be ignored. Everyday stressors and experiences that you may think of as just part of life can be devastating to them. Peer pressure, stress at school, and problems at home can be serious risk factors of teenage-depression.
Granted, and this is the last thing you want as a caregiver, parent. To be one of the people that ignore your child’s cries for help.
fake depression
Children have undeveloped brains, and what might seem logical to them might make zero sense to you. So, if they are experiencing something that they think you are not willing or able to understand or help with, they might do something drastic like to engage in risky behaviors, or even run away.
Fake Depression
To put it another way, this is why it is crucial not to falsely identify your teen’s depression as pretentious. You don’t want to drive them away. So, what should you do? Number one: let them know you are willing and able to listen, but do not pressure them to talk. Two: monitor their disposition. When do they do specific things? Sometimes seasonal depression can seem fake to the untrained eye.
In conclusion, you should also consider seeking help from a mental health professional. Who will be better equipped to screen for signs your child is struggling with feelings of hopelessness. Lastly any other issues your kid might have. Share your thoughts and concerns with this professional so they will be able to guide you and your kid through what you’re going through.
Finally, be open to change. If there is something at home that is affecting your teen, for example, you might need to take steps to decrease its impact. Or remove that thing altogether. So, believe your child. Even ‘fake’ depression is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. And they need your help to do it.