405. How does depression affect teenagers?

Approximately 4 out of 100 teenagers get seriously depressed each year.  Sure, everybody feels sad or blue now and then. But if you're sad most of the time, and it's giving you problems with: 

• your grades 
• your relationships with your family and friends 
• alcohol, drugs, or sex 
• controlling your behavior in other ways 

 then the problem may be - DEPRESSION 

WHEN YOU'RE DEPRESSED.. 

- You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away. 
- You feel guilty for no real reason; you feel like you're no good; you've lost your confidence. 
- Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen again.
- You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like you have no feelings.
- You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like-- like music, sports, being with friends, going out-- and you want to be left alone most of the time.
- It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate. 
- You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you over-react. 
- Your sleep pattern changes; you start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble falling asleep at night. Or you wake up really early most mornings and can't get back to sleep.
- Your eating pattern changes; you've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more. 
- You feel restless and tired most of the time. 
- You think about death, or feel like you're dying, or have thoughts about committing suicide