Nearly one in five teens experiences depression, but parents can find it difficult to broach the subject. Here are The Onion’s tips for talking to your teen about depression:
- Begin your conversation with something as simple as an observation, such as “I’ve noticed you have everything a person needs to be happy.”
- Your teen will appreciate your honesty and transparency. Let them know you really can’t handle another stress like this on top of everything else.
- Whatever you do, don’t start the conversation by totally freaking out over the bag of Lexapro you found in their sock drawer.
- Seek common ground. Your teen might be surprised to learn that even lame old Dad finds life inherently meaningless!
- Try not to scare them away from opening up by reacting with overblown emotional responses, like telling them you love them.
- Let them know that you can relate to what they’re going through by talking about how sad you were when the Heat lost to the Mavericks in the finals.
- From exercise to talk therapy, make sure your child is aware of the full range of options to ignore in favor of medication.
- Be proactive. Take your child to a mental health professional the moment their actions start affecting the way other parents look at you.