One of the biggest problems with depression is that when you're depressed, hope is gone and asking for help seems impossible. That's why most depressed people never seek depression treatment. Without treatment, however, depression can get worse, even to the point of being life-threatening.

The teenage years are a time of intense change and uncertainty, and to be confused and disappointed sometimes is absolutely normal. But depression can prevent you from enjoying and benefiting from these years. Individual and group therapy can help, as can anti-depression drugs.

Counseling

Regular counseling can help. Many teenagers find talking with a school counselor helpful, but clinical depression often calls for the help of a mental health professional who has experience working with depressed teenagers. Doctors can recommend a counselor. A combination of individual and group therapy is usually the most effective method of depression treatment.

Antidepressant Medications

In addition to individual and group therapy, mental health professionals may also recommend the use of depression drugs to help treat teen depression.

Antidepressant medications are not "uppers" and they are not addictive. When depression is so bad that you can't focus on anything else, when it interferes with your life in an overwhelming way, medication, in addition to counseling, might be necessary. The antidepressant medication may take several weeks to begin to work. There are several medications available, and one it may take a few tries to find the one that is right for an individual case.

"WAIT A MINUTE ... I don't think clinical intervention is necessary!"

For many of us who just feel "down," the treatments mentioned above are a little extreme. I recommend discussing your condition with your doctor.

Maybe all you need is a little cheering up. Try taking some time out of your day for yourself. Take up a new hobby like yoga. Read a book. Take a nice bubble bath. Little things like these can make you feel rejuvenated.

I also recommend that you get more involved with your community. Take some time to volunteer or join a youth group. Girl Scouts is an excellent activity (and, of course, the reason why I created this site). You can also get involved in school extracurricular activities. Just be careful not to over-do it. Piling on the responsibilities can lead to even more stress.

See Stress Relief for ways to combat stress