Recognizing the Symptoms

There are different degrees of depression. A young person might temporarily be demoralized by some upsetting even. But usually such blues fade in a relatively short amount of time.
However, if the depressed mood lingers and the youth has a general negative feeling along with feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, and anger, this can develop into what doctors call low-grade chronic depression. As the experiences of Mark and Melanie (mentioned at the outset) show, the symptoms can vary considerably. One young person may have anxiety attacks. Another may be tired all the time, have no appetite, experience trouble in sleeping, lose weight, or suffer a series of accidents.
Some young persons try to hide depression by embarking upon a pleasure binge: an endless round of parties, sexual promiscuity, vandalism, heavy drinking, and the like. "I don't really know why I gave to be going out all the time," confessed one 14-year old boy. "I just know if I'm by myself, alone, I realize how bad I fell." It is just as the Bible described "Even in laughter the heart may be in pain."