Depression In Teens During The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost everyone’s mental health to a certain extent. However, teens have been hit especially hard by the societal upheaval of the past two years. If you’re the parent of a teen, you might have noticed that your child seems withdrawn, discouraged, and frustrated by the events of the pandemic.
They may have lost contact with their close friends, struggled to get through remote schooling, or dealt with fears about the virus itself.
The pandemic is not just a physical health issue – in many ways, it has also become a mental health issue. Living through prolonged stress is challenging for everyone, especially young people. Here’s why the pandemic has led to rising rates of depression amongst teenagers.
Before you dive in, remember that our professionals are always here to help
Isolation
In the early days of the pandemic, many areas went into lockdown, cutting off any opportunities to connect with people outside of your own household. While essential workers had to keep working outside the home, most people had to stay indoors and avoid interactions with anyone else.
Your teen probably had to attend school remotely and stop seeing their friends for several months. Humans are social animals, and being isolated from other people can be devastating for one’s mental health.
Uncertain Futures
Perhaps your teen had always looked forward to going to college away from home. But the pandemic might have caused their dream school to shift to remote coursework, leaving your teen wondering what to do.
Maybe the pandemic shut down many companies in the industry your teen hoped to work in. Or maybe your teen was looking forward to events like homecoming, prom, graduation, or a special post-graduation trip. With so many of their plans derailed, they might feel concerned about what their future will look like.
Increased Screen Time
With so many outlets for in-person interaction shut down during the pandemic, your teen might have had no choice but to turn to social media in order to socialize. But increased screen time can be harmful to one’s mental health, especially for teens. Teens have spent lots of time online during the pandemic.
This is often linked to a higher risk of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Hours of screen time can also disrupt a healthy sleep schedule, which many teens already struggle with.
Media Diet
With increased screen time, teens can also be exposed to lots of negative media content. Throughout the pandemic, it’s been important to stay informed on new developments and changing public health regulations in your area. But spending hours each day glued to the media and seeing countless scary headlines can be harmful to one’s mental health.
For teens, reading this information constantly can worsen feelings of depression or anxiety. It can be hard to maintain hope for the future when you’re always taking in negative news.
Losing Healthy Outlets
Maybe your teen was on a sports team before the pandemic, but their practices and games were shut down to prevent the spread of the virus. Perhaps your teen used to take art classes or was involved in another creative extracurricular, and this stopped because of the pandemic, too.
Overall, people lost their outlets during the pandemic, whether they were outlets for creativity, working through stress, or simply relaxing and socializing with new people. Teens need these opportunities in order to grow. Being cut off from these outlets can feel emotionally stunting and contribute to depression.
Are you concerned about your teen’s mental health? They might benefit from working with a therapist. Reach out to us today to discuss your options for scheduling your teen’s first session.
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