Nowadays there is an increase in stress-related issues. These issues are often causes of depression, anxiety and suicidal attempts in teens. There is a tremendous amount of addiction to mobile phones in teens. These teens are then unable to come out of such issues. At times they are also not able to express their feelings.

In such situations, if we as parents know the warning signs we definitely can help them to come out from this situation.

Following are some of the behavioural changes seen in teenager kids. These behavioural changes may happen gradually or suddenly.

Depression

• Teenagers get angry at small things. Easily gets frustrated and cry
• They feel very low. Don’t want to do anything
• May start to be alone, become silent than usual, ignoring others
• Not able to sleep or even sleep for a long time, decrease or increase in appetite
• They even cannot enjoy the activity that they enjoyed it before. Can’t follow the daily routine

Anxiety

• They become fearful of little things, negative thinking about every small situation. For example, they may think that they can’t perform
well in studies or in exam, or nobody likes them etc.
• May become very stressful. They may feel tremors, palpitation, suffocation, sweating, nausea, giddiness, pain in the stomach.
• May find it difficult to concentrate on study, and feel stressed.
• During exam time they may cry, unable to face exam hall, refuse to go to school.
• You have to be very careful if your teen talks about suicide even in a joke.

Substance Abuse

• Heightened secrecy, late night with peers
• Excuses or outright lying
• Difficulty thinking or keeping focus, change in sounds
• Withdrawing from classroom participation, the decline in school performance
• Resistance to discipline or feedback
• Increased tardiness or absence
• Paranoia, irritability, anxiety, fidgeting
• Changes in mood or attitude Significant weight loss or gain, change in sleeping pattern
• Loss of interest in hobbies or activities.