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Depression, anxiety and other mood and affective disorders impact many youth in society. Often these issues go untreated. Teen depression is a serious mental health issue that causes feelings of sadness, loss of interest in activities and lack of motivation. It influences how teens think, feel and behave and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems. Mood disorders occur at any time in life, but often symptoms are different between teens and adults. At STAR Guides, we help parents and teens learn to manage depression, anxiety and other mood disorders that have led to sexual compulsive behaviors so that these issues don’t become life-long, chronic problems.
Teen Issues such as school demands, peer pressure, puberty and self-image can bring a lot of ups and downs for teens. For some youth, the lows are more than just fleeting feelings — they are a manifestation of a mood disorder such as depression. In an effort to cope with these feelings, increasing numbers of teens discover that compulsive use of pornography, masturbation and sexual acting allow for a temporary escape from these mental health issues. Teen depression often requires treatment such as medication and psychological counseling.
Signs of depression can include:
It can be difficult to tell the difference between ups and downs that are just part of being a teenager and teen depression. At STAR Guides, we can help parents to assess depression and help facilitate communication about the issues between the teen and his/her parents while disrupting a pattern of unhealthy sexual behavior for dealing with these unwanted emotions.
Matt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been working in the field of youth treatment and psychotherapy since 1995. He did his undergraduate work at BYU and earned his M.S.W. at the University of Utah. He has worked in a variety of treatment setting in his career ranging from wilderness therapy and residential treatment to outpatient treatment and state government.
