There are recent studies that indicate several links between teen depression and violence.

As depression rates in teens continue to climb, so do links to violence behaviors and violence-related attacks among teens. Teen depression and violence is a serious problem that requires attention.Parents, teachers and health care professionals are taking a closer look at the link between teen depression and violence. Because these two instances among teens are correlating to higher numbers, it is important for parents to be on the look out for signs of depression in their teens because this mental illness can lead to cases of suicide as well as cases of homicide and suicide connections or attempted attacks on others.According to the National Institute of Health, depression is occurring more rapidly in teens in newer generations because more teens are being recognized as having depression, while many in the past went overlooked or undiagnosed. Many teens with depression issues will turn to violence toward themselves first as an outlet of dealing with their pain. Cases of cutting, burning and other forms of self-mutilation are not uncommon unfortunately among teens. This violence always risks of running even worse in terms of the teens taking it to the extreme of suicide or even to the point where they take their anger and sadness out on others. Over the past few decades the number of school shootings in high schools throughout the United States has increased. These links between teen depression and violence are clearly evident and more efforts need to be taken to prevent these devastating and dangerous situations in the future.One of the best ways to prevent situations like these from getting so far is for parents to take an active approach to watching the moods of their teens. This can be easier said than done especially when most teens are experiencing a series of ups and downs emotionally with a huge influx of hormones that can cause teens to act out, become temporarily depressed or moody, etc. Keeping in communication with your teens to determine if their moodiness is a more severe case of depression is important. Watching for certain signs is also helpful to see if you can see a link between teen depression and violence in your teen. There are recent studies that indicate several links between teen depression and violence. As depression rates in teens continue to climb, so do links to violence behaviors and violence-related attacks among teens. Teen depression and violence is a serious problem that requires attention.

Parents, teachers and health care professionals are taking a closer look at the link between teen depression and violence. Because these two instances among teens are correlating to higher numbers, it is important for parents to be on the look out for signs of depression in their teens because this mental illness can lead to cases of suicide as well as cases of homicide and suicide connections or attempted attacks on others.

According to the National Institute of Health, depression is occurring more rapidly in teens in newer generations because more teens are being recognized as having depression, while many in the past went overlooked or undiagnosed. Many teens with depression issues will turn to violence toward themselves first as an outlet of dealing with their pain. Cases of cutting, burning and other forms of self-mutilation are not uncommon unfortunately among teens. This violence always risks of running even worse in terms of the teens taking it to the extreme of suicide or even to the point where they take their anger and sadness out on others. Over the past few decades the number of school shootings in high schools throughout the United States has increased. These links between teen depression and violence are clearly evident and more efforts need to be taken to prevent these devastating and dangerous situations in the future. One of the best ways to prevent situations like these from getting so far is for parents to take an active approach to watching the moods of their teens. This can be easier said than done especially when most teens are experiencing a series of ups and downs emotionally with a huge influx of hormones that can cause teens to act out, become temporarily depressed or moody, etc. Keeping in communication with your teens to determine if their moodiness is a more severe case of depression is important. Watching for certain signs is also helpful to see if you can see a link between teen depression and violence in your teen.

One option of treatment for depressed teens is a program for your troubled teen. These programs have options for struggling teens who suffer from depression that have tried outpatient therapy. Some of these programs for troubled teens are specialty boarding schools, but these may not be as equipped to help struggling teens.

Residential Treatment Centers Residential treatment centers are programs for troubled teens. Residential treatment centers are licensed by each state and allowed to treat certain ages of children, usually 12-18. RTCs, as they are sometimes called, treat a range of problems including depression, anxiety, stress, behavior disorders, conduct disorders and more. These types of programs for troubled teens have licensed therapists on staff in most cases. They can also help with drug treatment, alcohol treatment, and many other teen issues. Schools for Troubled Teens Quite often programs for troubled teens, like RTCs, are also accredited schools for troubled youth. Sometimes they are accredited through one of the few regional accrediting groups or they sometimes use distance learning programs. This enables a depressed teen, who is struggling at home or school, to get their school credits or even graduate while at the program/school. Some of these schools for troubled teens offer great education options with AP courses, tutors, and concurrent enrollment. Depression Treatment Enrolling your teen into a specialty school or program for troubled teens is a big step. Make sure you do your homework on the program, school, or treatment center. You should know what licensing they have in place and if they have accredidation through a regional body. Parents should also consult their local mental health professional, medical doctor, etc.

Programs that claim to help Some programs that have no licensed therapists on staff will offer to help treat your depressed teen. The programs for troubled teens are not the best option for a severely depressed teenager. This can include wilderness programs, boot camps, and/or military schools. Some believe that placing a severely depressed teen into a military school can worsen the condition. In fact, most military schools will not accept a student if they are aware of certain issues with depression. They are not equipped like a residential treatment center. There are some military schools for troubled teens that can help behavior disorders and defiance, but for depression these are not the answer. Boot camps for troubled teens are in the same boat here they are not for depressed or suicidal teenagers. Conclusion There are many great programs for troubled teens. Just make sure you get a recommendation from a local therapist and make sure the school/program meets certain criteria in licensing and education areas. You should get help for your struggling teen as soon as possible

Signs of Teen Depression and Violence:

Moodiness Acting withdrawn or not engaging in activities like he/she used to Low energy Not eating or eating too much (binging)

Weight loss or weight gain Insomnia Self-criticism and self-esteem issues Threatening others Acting out in a manner of rage Inability to accept criticism without getting violently upset Throws or damages objects when angry Drug and/or alcohol use Feeling rejected Having been a victim of bullying Poor academic performance Yells, hits, punches, kicks, etc. Gets into regular fights or altercations with peers

There are a few ways to take corrective action when you see instances of teen depression and violence. Taking action as soon as you start to see the signs is the most effective way to prevent a serious and possibly fatal outcome from happening. Getting your teen professional help is imperative toward his or her recovery. There are a few ways to go about this. Especially if your teen is showing signs of violence in addition to depression, both issues need to be addressed. First, depression can be treated through therapy in an individual, one-on-one setting or through a group therapy session. This group therapy option might be with other members of the teens family or with the parents. It might even

Signs of Teen Depression and Violence:

Moodiness Acting withdrawn or not engaging in activities like he/she used to Low energy Not eating or eating too much (binging) Weight loss or weight gain Insomnia Self-criticism and self-esteem issues Threatening others Acting out in a manner of rage Inability to accept criticism without getting violently upset Throws or damages objects when angry Drug and/or alcohol use Feeling rejected Having been a victim of bullying Poor academic performance

Yells, hits, punches, kicks, etc. Gets into regular fights or altercations with peers

There are a few ways to take corrective action when you see instances of teen depression and violence. Taking action as soon as you start to see the signs is the most effective way to prevent a serious and possibly fatal outcome from happening. Getting your teen professional help is imperative toward his or her recovery. There are a few ways to go about this. Especially if your teen is showing signs of violence in addition to depression, both issues need to be addressed. First, depression can be treated through therapy in an individual, one-on-one setting or through a group therapy session. This group therapy option might be with other members of the teens family or with the parents. It might even be with other teens going through and dealing with the same issues. As far as treating violence, the teen might benefit from attending additional anger management classes and sessions with an anger management professional.

To protect your teens issues with teen depression and violence from experiencing a tragic outcome, or having these troubles continue into their adult life, it is important to address the issue promptly. Keeping a strong dialog with your teen is also a good way to continue a relationship of trust when they feel like they can confide in their parents to tell t hem their feelings of depression and violence. Getting help right away is the best way to help them successfully overcome these issues of teen depression and violence

What things depress you? How often do you become depressed? Do you feel depressed today? Do you think you will over come this depression if you are depressed? How do you personally rid of your depression? How do you think you could avoid further depression or avoid it in the future? Do you think your depression is unique? factors increase the risk that a teenager will attempt suicide What are the most common warning signs that somebody is seriously considering suicide? What are the most common warning signs that somebody is seriously considering suicide? Do all suicidal people talk about killing themselves before they try to do it? Are all suicide threats real or is it usually just a cry for attention? OK, but if somebody tries to commit suicide and fails that IS just a cry for attention, right? Why do people kill themselves? Why is suicide so common among teens? If you kill yourself can you still get in to heaven? If you help a friend commit suicide could you be charged with a crime? What is "assisted suicide", and why do I hear in the news that some people think it should be legal? What is meant by "suicide clusters"? If you attempt suicide but survive can you be charged with a crime? What happens after somebody commits suicide? Are all suicidal people depressed or mentally ill? How do I know when to take a friend's suicide threat seriously? What should I say to my suicidal friend? What should I do to stop them? My friend is saying he/she wants to commit suicide after killing all the people who make him/her miserable, what should I do?

My friend threatened suicide and I told my parents, they told his/her parents and now that friend is mad at me. Did I do the wrong thing? My friend threatened suicide and when I went to his/her parents they said it was just a cry for attention, what do I do now? Somebody I cared about committed suicide and I am really mad at them, is this normal?

Suicide Statistics Unfortunately, statistics show that suicide rates in teenagers are on the rise. After a trend of decreasing suicide rates from 1996 to 2003, teen suicide rates increased 18% in 2004 and 17% in 2005. Why? Experts aren't sure yet, but theories include:

increase access to guns increase use of alcohol the influence of Internet social networks, such as MySpace increased rates of suicide among older teens who are serving in, or returning from Iraq

Another leading theory is that the rise in teen suicides may be because fewer teens are being treated with antidepressants when they have depression. This follows the 2003 FDA warning about antidepressants and suicide. However, since untreated depression is itself a risk factor for suicide, fewer teens taking antidepressants could have the unintended effect of leading to more suicides. Worldwide, about 90,000 teens commit suicide each year, with about four million suicide attempts. That means that one teenager dies from suicide about every five minutes.

http://www.teenforumz.com http://www.teendepression.org www.google.com http://www.stopasuicide.org http://search.yahoo.com