If your son suffers from depression, it may be hard to understand what they are going through. You know what it’s like to have a bad day, but imagine feeling your worst every day for weeks, months, or years. Unlike ordinary sadness or grief, the symptoms of depression can be debilitating for your teen. Severe depression is more than just feeling sad, and it can interfere with all aspects of your son’s quality of life.
Depression can also increase the risk of substance abuse. Up to a third of clinically depressed people engage in drug or alcohol abuse. It becomes a form of self-medication to soothe the feelings of low self-worth, hopelessness, and despair that characterize clinical depression. The flip side is that while your son may turn to substance use to relieve symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, using and abusing drugs and alcohol can actually make depressive episodes more frequent, more severe, and more destructive.
At Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, we offer adolescent depression treatment programs that address both depression and addiction. Our programs can help to stop the progression of both disorders and empower your son to build a healthy, sober life in recovery. To learn more about our services, please contact our team today at 662.373.2828.
Identifying Symptoms of Depression and Substance Use
The symptoms of depression can cause noticeable problems for your teen with work, school, family, and social relationships. Depressive episodes may cause them to have trouble getting out of bed in the morning because they lack energy, experience fatigue, and lose motivation. Here are symptoms of clinical depression to watch for in your child:
- A low, depressed mood
- Loss of pleasure or interest in daily activities
- Feelings of self-hatred, worthlessness, or guilt
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
- Physical fatigue
- Low energy levels, with slower than usual responses and movements
- Problems with concentration or memory
- Persistent, intrusive thoughts about death or dying
- Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts
The signs of depression may also include a profound sense of sadness, something that does not improve even when your teen engages in activities that they enjoy. Your son may feel a sense of doom throughout the day and may want to be alone, even though, deep down, he wants to spend time with friends and family. It’s crucial for you to also be on the lookout for signs that they are using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate for their depression and get help as soon as you can. The team at Stonewater is here to help you through this process through our teen dual diagnosis treatment programs.
If you see the signs of depression in a loved one, do not overlook what’s happening. Try to talk to them. Be vigilant in remaining a part of their life. If your loved one is talking about suicide or death a lot, that indicates they need immediate help. Don’t wait to call for help.
Treatment Options Available
The human brain is still developing well into a person’s early 20s. Most mental illnesses develop during this period of growth. Furthermore, this period is also when the brain is most vulnerable to damage from drug abuse. It’s essential to recognize that depression is a disease. Whether caused by circumstances or a chemical imbalance, your teen deserves substance abuse treatment to ensure he can get back to being who he wants to be.
We offer a wide range of treatment options that can help. That includes a comprehensive teen mental health treatment program. Additionally, we provide a range of therapeutic programs such as:
- Dialectical behavior therapy program (DBT)
- Experiential therapy programs
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy program (CBT)
- Art therapy program
- Fly-fishing therapy program
Our dual diagnosis treatment program can help with both depression and substance abuse. We are here to help you and your son take that one step forward towards lifelong recovery.
Contact Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center for Support
Depression comes in many forms. When you find the signs of depression in your teen are too much to ignore, it’s time to reach out for help. Contact a medical professional for an appropriate diagnosis, and let our team at Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center provide you with the strategies and solutions you and your son need to heal. This condition will impact every area of life until treated, but there is hope for recovery. Let us help you on that path. Call us at 662.373.2828 today to learn more about our services.
Stonewater is a comprehensive dual-diagnosis treatment center addressing adolescent needs across a continuum of care. From fully supervised Withdrawal Management all the way to Residential Treatment, our customized adolescent care is built on the latest scientific research and proven techniques to increase the likelihood of successful outcomes. Learning about Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, you’ll find our founders have been there, where you are now, and understand that your child is an individual who needs an individualized recovery program providing safety, privacy, security, and success.