1. Stress and Depression
Common Causes
Common Signs and Symptoms
Coping Strategies
Caring & Treatment Tips

2. What Is Stress?
• Stress is the way your body
relates to life’s pressures.

3. What Are Some Common
Sources of Stress?
• Situations in the home
– Parents’ separation or divorce,
– A new stepparent,
– A new brother or sister,
– A single parent household,
– Little or no emotional support,
– Neglect (personal needs not met),
– Abuse (physical or sexual)…

4. What Are Some Common
Sources of Stress?
• Situations in life:
– Death of a loved one or friend,
– Moving to a new town or new school,
– Illness or hospitalization,
– Violence in the neighborhood, community,
world,
– Natural disasters or other emergencies…

5. What Are Some Common
Sources of Stress?
• Situations at school:
– Problems with friends,
– Gangs, threats from others, bullies,
– Competition,
– Popularity,
– Homework, grades, pressures to excel,
– No support for school work…

6. Reactions to Stress
• Reactions to stress • Reactions to stress
can be can affect a person’s
– Short term – Physical health
– Long term
– Emotional health
– Extreme and life
threatening – Thinking
– Social activity

7. What Are Some Common
Symptoms of Stress?
• Thoughts:
– Difficulty communicating or listening,
– Lack of concentration,
– Memory problems,
– Difficulty making decisions,
– Disorientation and confusion,
– Loss of objectivity…

8. What Are Some Common
Symptoms of Stress?
• Feelings
– Frequent crying, show of emotions,
– Hyper-vigilance or excessive worry,
– Irritability, outbursts of anger, frequent arguments,
– Depression,
– Apathy,
– Denial,
– Anxiety or fear,
– Guilt,
– Grief…

9. What Are Some Common
Symptoms of Stress?
• Physical Changes
– Short-term physical reactions:
– Oxygen
 Extra oxygen reaches the brain because the
bronchioles dilate
– Endorphins
– Adrenaline
 Extra blood reaches the organs because the heart
rate increases

10. What Are Some Common
Symptoms of Stress?
• Physical Symptoms
– Effects on the Body: Long Term
• Damage to the cardiovascular, immune, and
nervous systems,
• People develop patterns of response,
• These responses may indicate need for corrective
action to limit their impact.

11. What Are Some Common
Symptoms of Stress?
• Change in behavior
– Increase or decrease in activity level,
– Substance use or abuse (alcohol or drugs),
– Decline in school performance, absenteeism,
– Avoidance of activities or places (isolation),
– Becoming accident prone,
– Inability to rest or relax,
– Blaming,
– Difficulty in giving or accepting support or help,
– Inability to experience pleasure or have fun…

12. What Is Depression?
• Depression is a common and serious
medical condition characterized by
extreme sadness and loss of pleasure in
life.

13. What Is Depression?
– Depression can lead to suicide.
– Depression can happen in anyone’s life.
• Any race
• Any social standing
• Any age – 1 in 8 adolescents have some
symptoms

14. What Causes Depression?
• Precise causes are not known.
– Biological - genetic factors
– Psycho - social factors
• Ex: continued distress from any of the previously
identified “stressors”,
• Ex: distorted, negative thinking patterns…

15. Contributing Factors for
Depression in Teens:
• Stressors such as fear of not meeting
expectations of parents, teachers, others…
• When things go wrong at school or at home
teens may feel unsure of abilities or question
how they fit in…
• Facing choices about friendship, sex, alcohol,
and drugs…
• Facing conflicting messages from parents,
teachers, friends and society…

16. Danger Signs in Depressed
Teens
When students……
• Experience a humiliating or anxiety provoking
situation,
• Show more than five major signs of depression
for over two weeks (see student handout: Signs
of Depression),
• Demonstrate or verbalize suicidal thoughts,
• Increase risk-taking behavior,
• Show signs of personality changes,
• Seriously neglect self-care…

17. Stress and Depression
• Continued stress can lead to depression.
• Continued depression can lead to suicide.
• Managing stress can prevent or reduce
depression and suicide.
• It is important to manage both stress and
depression.

18. Stress & Depression:
Comparing Physical
Symptoms
• Stress • Depression
– Gastrointestinal problems
– Stomachaches
– Headaches, other aches
and pains – Headaches
– Chronic fatigue or sleep – Sleeping problems
disturbances
– Weight loss or gain – Weight changes
– Sweating or chills – Appetite changes
– Tremors or muscle – Lack of energy
twitching
– Being easily startled – Joint or backaches
– Immune system disorders
– Visual disturbances

19. Stress & Depression:
Comparing Thoughts
• Stress • Depression
– Lack of concentration – Difficulty concentrating
– Memory problems – Difficulty making
– Difficulty making decisions
decisions – Problems completing
– Disorientation and school work
confusion – Problems maintaining
– Loss of objectivity grades

20. Stress & Depression:
Comparing Feelings
• Stress • Depression
– Depression – Sadness
– Apathy – Lack of enjoyment of
– Denial everyday pleasures
– Anxiety or fear – Hopelessness
– Guilt – Worthlessness
– Grief – Emptiness
– Guilt

21. Stress & Depression:
Comparing Actions
• Stress • Depression
– Isolation – Restless
– Blaming – Not wanting to go to
school – cutting
– Difficulty in giving or classes
accepting support or – Wanting to be alone
help
– Difficulty getting along
– Inability to experience – Dropping out of sports,
pleasure or have fun hobbies, activities
– Drinking, drug use

22. Coping Strategies
• Coping with Stress
– There are many resources for stress management.
– Be aware of signs and symptoms of stress:
• Take practical action to reduce the stress as soon as
possible.
– Identify ways to manage / reduce source of
symptoms:
• Ex: relaxation and meditation techniques to help with
physical symptoms of stress,
• Ex: discuss your thoughts and feelings with a responsible
adult…

23. Coping Strategies
• Coping with Depression
– Recognize the signs of depression.
– Remember that depression is not a sign of
weakness nor is it something you can “snap
out of”.
– Depression is a serious condition that needs
medical attention.
– Depression can be successfully treated and
the emotional pain can be relieved.

24. Caring and Treatment Tips
• Stress –
– Offer to listen,
– Suggest a responsible person / resource to go
to for help,
• Depression –
– Offer to listen - show concern,
– Trust your instincts - alert an adult to your
concern about a depressed person.

25. Extreme Stress
• Chronic or traumatic stress is potentially very
destructive and can deprive [youth] of physical and
mental health.
• If stress is extreme and not managed, some
individuals may experience post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).
• PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur
following the experience or witnessing of life-
threatening events.