Teenage Depression - Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in the world today. While violence and abuse in the home has long-lasting traumatic effects on children and teenagers alike, it is during the critical teenage years that domestic violence most impacts on the emerging adult. Research suggests that teenagers who are exposed to domestic violence have a high risk of having violent relationships themselves, either as the victim or as the abuser.

It is estimated that more than 3 million children and teenagers are exposed to domestic violence in the United States each year. Domestic violence refers to the act of unwarranted violence and physical intimidation of one or more members of a household on one or more others. It is important to remember that there is no 'typical' picture of violence in a home and it is often very well hidden from those on the outside, even close friends and family. The stereotype of domestic violence is that of the father abusing the mother. However there are many reported cases of the reverse being true, of teenagers physically abusing their parents and even of older siblings behaving violently toward siblings. Also, while drugs and alcohol is often an influencing factor, there are many instances where the abuser is a respectable member of the wider society.

Teenagers who experience domestic violence have the difficult task of hiding their traumatic realities from their peers, while still maintaining a facade of normality within their social lives. This is especially difficult in the teen years, because it is during this time that social occupations such as sleepovers, having friends over to 'hang out', hosting parties, etc, are important. When teens are afraid to open their homes to friends, and remain secretive about their home life, it has a negative impact on their ability to build close relationships among their peers, leading them to feel lonely, isolated and depressed. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that domestic violence often results in the teen struggling to form trusting relationships and the onset of teenage depression is most likely, especially among those with a not-so-strong personality.

The teen years are also a time of dating and starting to develop more adult relationships. When a teen lives in a home with domestic violence, they lack examples of healthy relationships to learn from which often results in the teen engaging in violent relationships themselves. Other negative effects of domestic violence are that the teen may become overly anxious, and struggle to concentrate which impacts on school work. When teenagers in violent homes have younger siblings they often 'grow up' too quickly taking on the parent role in an attempt to protect their younger siblings. Teenagers who live in violent homes need the support of a trusted adult such as a school councillor or social worker to help them deal with the problem. It also really helps to be able to confide in a close friend, especially when the trouble at home escalates.

The must read book: "All you wanted to know about Teen Depression", is available at: [http://www.depression-teenage.com]

Anne Ross is a Psychotherapist, Counsellor, Crises facilitator, Cranial Sacral and Myofascial Therapist, including various other Massage/Body/Energy techniques, but above all she is a mother.

She is an accredited member of the Traditional-Medicine Society and the Association of Transactional Analysis.