How To Talk To Your Teen About Depression

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.