Do you feel a little blue or down from time to time? Feeling down or blue for long periods of time, (lasting more than two weeks) is a serious problem. If this happens to you, full-blown clinical depression has set in, and treatment is needed.

The symptoms of depression are many. Some of the most common are: feeling down, fatigue, unexplained aches and pains, excessive sleeping or insomnia, feeling overwhelmed, feelings of hopelessness. Other symptoms might be a marked change in appetite, loss of energy, headaches, a diminished interest in things previously enjoyed, difficulty focusing or concentrating, and more.

Depression can be very mild or very severe and can lead to suicide — even in a person who feels that suicide is wrong. Depression does not occur only when there is a “visible” reason for it. Depression can even occur due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Feeling blue or down from time to time is normal. It is when those feelings progress or are prolonged that a real problem exists. This type of depression does require treatment. Too often people think that they will “get over it,” that they do not need treatment or that treatment will not benefit them. Some people do not seek treatment because they are embarrassed or ashamed. They may also fear medication that is used in the treatment of depression.

Counseling, without medication, has helped millions of people. Sometimes milder cases of clinical depression can be relieved by simply resolving a problem or talking to a trusted friend.

If you are experiencing depression, you should definitely seek help when depression lasts more than two weeks, when it is accompanied by uncontrollable crying, or when it is interfering in your day-to-day life, preventing you from participating in your usual activities.

Stress has the tendency to manifest itself in hidden ways. Finding the source of your stress can be a complicated task, and many physicians recommend preventing it by practicing a healthy, balanced way of life.

A relocation, a new job, marriage, or even picking up a bad habit can give rise to stress, anxiety, and their effects (not to mention the news of a loved one passing, an accident, or a big disappointment). These can also trigger serious emotional stress and psychosomatic manifestations.

Any resistance to change that we might have, whether emotional, physical, social, or mental could trigger stress. The origin of stress is a changing variable with causes being attributed to an infinite number of reasons.

No matter what underlying cause, if a person feels overwhelmed by a particular situation, resistance to handle the situation – stress can be the result. Stress brings about worry in your thoughts, usually in a negative way.

Stress can also be positive, giving you an extra push to complete a difficult task or provide you with the capability to endure until that last stretch.

Do you work well under pressure? Sometimes the stress factor is just enough to push you without overwhelming you. In this case, stress becomes a positive manifestation that encourages your performance, thoughts, and feelings, as opposed to diminishing your capacities, which is normally the case.

Pretty much any situation can trigger a stressful response, and because of this, the origins of stress are not defined.

Nevertheless, while identifying the sources of your stress is an important step to de-stressing, identifying the stress itself is the first step. Many people accept stress as a common thing, and forget the serious effects that it can have in their health and psyche.

This is particularly common in teenagers who lack the resources gained through life experience to overcome difficult life situations. Teens who reach this point feel that they lack the resources to cope with their problems and try to communicate feelings of hopelessness and the expression of insurmountable stress through suicide. While some teenagers attempt suicide as a desperate act to get help from others without the intention of ending life, there are those who have lost all hope that help is obtainable that the goal to end their life becomes a reality.

Suicide prevention is best achieved by anticipating the precipitating factors for suicidal ideation and being aware of the warning signs of suicidal intent. Even if the teen denies suicidal intent, behavioural clues and thinking patterns can indicate the teenager’s level of suicidality. Depression, hopelessness and anxiety are found to be important factors in suicidal ideation and behaviour. This is often accompanied by feelings of isolation and perceived loss of control over their environment. All-or-nothing thinking emerges in which no options for coping or overcoming problems seem possible.

Suicidal intent refers to how committed the teen is to dying. Suicidal lethality refers to the dangerousness of the teen’s intended method of dying. Warning signs that a teenager is thinking about suicide include:

• Lack of hope for the future: the teen feels that there is no hope for the future, and things will never improve
• Preoccupation with death and dying: the teen imagines the world without their existence, or frequently talks about death or dying. For example they might say things like, “I wish I’d never been born”
• Feelings of worthlessness: the teen expresses self-hatred and self-loathing and perceives him- or her-self as a burden.
• Social withdrawal: withdrawing from family and friends and isolating self from social interaction.
• Self-destructive or self-harming behaviour: purposely taking unnecessary risks and risk-taking behaviour such as drug and alcohol abuse, or engaging in self-injury such as cutting.
• Saying good-bye: unexpected visits to family and friends and talking as though they will never see them again.
• Getting affairs in order: the person appears to be making preparations for after their death such as suddenly giving away prized possessions or making arrangements for pets and family members.
• Seeking out suicide implements: the person has a sudden interest in obtaining lethal objects such as pills, guns, knives, etc.

Sudden sense of calm: this is often the most surprising warning sign as many people remark that the person who committed suicide appeared very happy before the suicide. If there is a sudden change from being depressed and experiencing feelings of hopelessness to displaying a sense of resolve, this could indicate that the teen has made peace with the decision to end their life.