Teenagers are easily influenced by the changes taking place around them and they are equally influenced by the people that they interact with on a daily basis. One of the most influential groups in this mix of relationship building is the peer group of teenagers. The collective power exercised by any peer group is so forceful that peers can impact the behavior and ultimately the character of children around them. Parents have been asking this question for a while as to whether peer pressure causes depression among teens or not. Yes, it is true but this doesn’t mean that other factors don’t lead towards teenage depression because the variety of pressure applied on children comes in different forms. The most common factors that lead to depression among teenagers will be discussed here along with the effect of peer pressure on the mental health of children. We’ll also look at ways as how to avoid peer pressure.

The Many Faces Of Stress

Teenage years are sprinkled with confusion and doubt for most kids, even for the best ones. Therefore, many children won’t have a clue as how to manage their emotions and thoughts when depression strikes. Come to think of it, even adults become disoriented when they are hit by depression and even these grown-ups sometimes need help. Parents should therefore ensure that they look out for signs of depression in their children and help them get treatment for the problem. Teens and peer pressure go hand in hand and parents should closely look out for the bad signs of this equation. Further, parents should also teach teenagers how to identify signs of depression on their own and how to handle the situation properly. When we talk about teenagers and depression the following situations are the most basic reasons that push children towards gloom.

Depression and Peer Pressure: Children are introduced to the world of social interactions on a step by step basis. Once these kids reach teenage years the complexity of relationship building increases and popularity among the peer group takes priority because being popular in a group means that others voices in the group can be hushed up with ease. Peer pressure can also lead teenagers towards drinking, drugs or other dangerous habits and can prove emotionally draining for teenagers. In the struggle to fit in and be accepted by the larger peer group, teenagers can easily fall victim to depression.

Weight of Academic Stress: Nowadays teenagers are under constant pressure to excel academically and in extra-curricular activities. Parents and teachers are both responsible for putting children under great stress because they want the kids to excel in life. Most adults would try to get scholarships for their kids since education has become a very expensive right in the present era. Under these circumstances a large number of teenagers would break down under the pressure and fall into severe depression because no one told them that it is sometimes okay to fail when pursuing different goals in life.

Failure in Romance: Romance in the teenage years is very intense and takes over the minds of children almost instantly. Young romance also comes with all its follies and an ugly downside – for instance breakups, unfulfilled affection, and communication problems between couples could very easily lead to disaster in the form of depression.

Fault in Our Genes: Medical studies have proven that depression is heredity and is transferred to a child if one or both parents are suffering from the mental ailment. If a certain family has a history of depression then it is very likely that the genes would be transferred to the next generation as well.

Separation of Parents: Divorce between parents can emotionally scar teenagers. The disintegration of a stable family unit can take a toll on the mental wellbeing of children and the events that follow afterwards could easily lead teens towards depression.

Tight Financial Situation: Kids don’t have to earn anything to run the affairs of the house but this doesn’t mean that they are not affected by a rough financial situation if the parents are finding it hard to make both ends meet. Kids have the ability to think up unthinkable situations and this could prove dangerous if they dwell upon the issue of money for too long. By doing so they are inviting depression to overtake their entire life.

Parents and teenagers should know that depression is a very real problem and can destroy a person’s life in a slow and cold manner. Teenagers suffering from depression should consult a medical professional so that their emotional wellbeing could be safeguarded. Adults should pay close attention to signs of depression in their children so that they would be able to help the young ones when they need immediate help.