Chat Rooms For Depressed Teens (5+ rooms)

Today’s blog post focuses on ‘chat rooms for depressed teens’. We begin our discussion with understanding depression in teens. This is followed by taking a look at the emotional and behavioural symptoms of depression in teens. After this, we take into account a few reasons that make diagnosing teenage depression difficult. After this, chat rooms for depressed teens are overviewed and lastly, the different chat rooms for depressed teens are viewed along with a brief on its pros and cons.

Chat Rooms For Depressed Teens:

Depression in teenagers can be very confusing and difficult to deal with. One of the ways to handle the situation can be in the form of chats rooms for depressed teens. These rooms are specifically designed for people who are depressed and are looking for support and a way out of the situation. Although these chat rooms cannot replace therapy or the therapist, they can serve as an effective way of finding social support and motivation. 

Here is a list of a few effective and safe chat rooms for depressed teens:

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
• Depression Chat Rooms
• Depression Sanctuary
• Depression Understood
• Health Unlocked

Depression in teenagers:

Depression, as we know, is a persistent mood disorder which is different from regular fluctuations in mood that happens due to day to day events. Although the symptoms of depression remain universal, there can be different ways in which they get manifested in different populations and this is also true in case of teenage depression. 

There can be a number of reasons for the teens to get depressed. Adolescence is a time where a person undergoes a number of physical as well as emotional changes. It is the time when they hit puberty and the development of secondary sexual characteristics takes place. It is also the time when there can be a number of hormonal changes taking places along with changes in the emotions which can get overwhelming for a teen. 

In addition to that, in this phase, the teens try to form their own identity, perhaps may also explore their sexual orientation. It is also accompanied by keeping up with school, examinations, assignments, activities and peer groups. 

This is also the stage where they may want to experiment with newer things and may venture into smoking, alcohol and possible drug use. Family environment also plays a great role, especially in these years. Because the teens are fragile, emotionally and physically at this stage, any disruption in the family atmosphere can be shocking for them. 

These factors and disruption in these factors can lead them to feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, sadness, irritation and also anger and aggression. 

Symptoms of teenage depression:

Often teens suffering from depression are likely to go into withdrawing from interacting with friends and family, which is usually the first sign of depression. They may also lose motivation to study and spend time in regular activities. Here are few other distinct emotional symptoms that can be seen in teenage depression.

• There can be feelings of sadness in terms of crying spells for no apparent reason, along with feelings of frustration, anger and lashing out even at the smallest thing.
• They may feel hopeless, worthless and may feel as though their life lacks any direction. They may also feel empty.
• They may lose interest in pleasurable activities, hobbies and games. They may also lose interest in interacting with anyone. 
• They engage in conflicts with peers and teachers at school and there are complaints from the school.
• They may experience an inordinate amount of guilt and may get fixated on past failures and ruminate over them.
• They are also likely to engage in self blame and criticise self for everything in their lives.
• They need constant reassurance about being safe physically and emotionally and may get overly sensitive about things.
• They may engage in various forms of self-harm such as excessive tattooing, piercing, cutting oneself with blades or any other sharp objects. 
• They may have difficulty in concentrating, retaining information and performing tasks and this may reflect in the form of lowering of school grades.
• They are likely to run away from school, home or may refuse to go to school and classes. 
• They may also feel that they cannot envision a future and have thoughts of death and dying.

Several behavioural changes can also be seen when the teen is depressed such as:

• Restlessness and constant pacing 
• Deliberate and slow body movements.
• Constant fatigue and tiredness and low motivation to take up tasks at school or otherwise.
• Sleep disturbances and appetite disturbances.
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Not paying attention to personal hygiene and appearance.
• Constant physical pain which cannot be attributed to a concrete cause. 

Can diagnosing teenage depression be difficult?

Yes. Diagnosing teenage depression can get a little difficult as many of the symptoms such as isolation, lashing out, anger, conflict with parents, peers and teachers, trying out new things are mistaken as being a part of the ‘troubled teens’.

It is often assumed that the teens would grow out of it. However, it may not always be the case. There may be many situations, where the teen may be depressed but may not be able to communicate with peers, family or teachers for a variety of reasons.

They may not be able to communicate due to the fear that they will not be understood, they may be mislabelled, their peers will not accept them with depression, they will be dismissed or may feel that no one around them will be able to resonate and connect with what they are going through.

What also makes teen depression difficult to diagnose is a lack of awareness about teenage depression. Many people still believe that only adults and older adults can get depressed and that depression in teens is a way to seek attention. However, depression doesn’t have any age of occurrence that is; it may occur at any age, even in early childhood. 

Also, it may happen in certain situations that a teen may be depressed and may not know about it, that is; they may not realise that the symptoms they are experiencing are a sign of depression, but may only realise that something is not quite right.

What can be done then?

Due to the issues that teens face regarding talking about their condition, recognising their condition, they may often turn to the internet for support. Because of the rising proportion of teens trying to find answers to their questions and resolve their confusion, the need for a forum to address these concerns came up.

This led to the development of chat rooms for depressed teens. Depression chat rooms can be of great help if someone is feeling depressed and needs to talk to someone who can understand them as the others in the chat room are going through similar experiences. It can be a safe space for many depressed individuals as the chatting is done anonymously and the person can get support from others who may also be going through similar conditions. 

These chat rooms are either run privately or are supported and moderated by organisations to ensure that the rules are followed and the people treat each other with respect and support.

Which are the chat rooms for depressed teens?

Here is a list of various available chat rooms for depressed teens:

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

The DBSA offers online support groups and forums that are peer led. These are specifically designed for people suffering for depression and bipolar disorder, including the teens. The support groups/chat rooms offer a safe space to share experiences, learn coping skills and gain hope. 

• Depression Chat Rooms

Depression Chat Rooms are chat rooms for depressed teens and adults which is offered by depressed-chat-room.org. The aim of the chat room is to connect people who are dealing with depression and anxiety with each other so as to create a safe space for discussing these issues. The chat room also offers space to adults and teens suffering from related mood conditions such as bipolar disorder and eating disorders. The chat rooms are safe, independent and free of cost. 

• Depression Sanctuary

Depression Sanctuary is an online forum which was created to provide a safe space for people with depression to talk to each other in a moderated and protected atmosphere. The chat room requires membership, but it is free. It was created so that like minded people can come together to discuss their struggle with depression and provide support to each other. 

• Depression Understood

Depression Understood is another chat room for adults as well as a chat room for depressed teens. It was developed with the aim of providing a relaxed, safe, supportive and informal atmosphere which would cultivate communication and aid in coping.

• Health Unlocked

It is another chat room for depressed teens as well as adults which was formed in association with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. It aims at offering a safe space for dealing with anxiety and depression. 

There are several other chat rooms for depressed teens that are available, with more coming up each day as the concern is growing. Yet, it has to be remembered that these chat rooms are exclusively for providing and seeking support and should not be used as a substitute to traditional therapy. In case the symptoms get severe, one must not hesitate to see a therapist. 

Pros and Cons of these chat rooms for depressed teens

Nevertheless, these chat rooms for depressed teens have been successful in providing a safe space to the teens to express their feelings and feel validated. It offers them confidentiality, so they do not have to worry about their identity being revealed. Also, these are legally safe as the chat rooms are moderated so as to avoid and breach of rules. 

On the downside however, in some cases, these chat rooms can end up the place of face-to-face conversations in the person’s life. Also, despite the rules and moderation, chances of online abuse and bullying are always present in chat rooms, hence it is important to be extremely careful while being a part of any chat rooms for depressed teens.

Frequently Asked Questions:Chat Rooms For Depressed Teens

Conclusion:

Today’s blog post focused on ‘chat rooms for depressed teens’. We began our discussion with understanding depression in teens. This was followed by taking a look at the emotional and behavioural symptoms of depression in teens. After this, we took into account a few reasons that make diagnosing teenage depression difficult. After this, chat rooms for depressed teens were overviewed and lastly, the different chat rooms for depressed teens were viewed along with a brief on its pros and cons.

I hope the blog post was successful in helping the readers gain a complete overview of the chat rooms for depressed teens along with understanding teenage depression. Please feel free to drop in your comments and queries below.

References:

https://talkwithstranger.com/free-chat-rooms/depression-chat-room

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/teen-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20350985

https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/teen-depression#1

https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-chat-rooms-1067331