“What is the reason for constant negative feelings in my daughter?”
My daughter is 17 years old and I am finding her behavior very strange for the last month. She seems to have a pessimistic attitude about everything. She has been a very bright student till now, however her grades are now getting affected because of her attitude. How can I help her?
8 Answers
It is very important to find out the reason for her depression. There was some disappointment, perhaps rejection, that happened recently. She needs to share it with you or a psychiatrist.
Unfortunately, you can't help her directly. She needs to want to get better. You could suggest taking her to a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist for an evaluation and to accompany her for support. But she needs to recognize first that she is not liking the way she feels in order to find a solution to it.
This is a very tender age with lots of internal and external sources of stress and it would be worthwhile to get her evaluated by a psychologist or a psychiatrist to rule out any mood or anxiety disorder.
Have her read Mindset by Carol Dweck
You are a Caring Mother.
I understand your concern about her.
Have a Heart to Heart talk with your daughter and tell her that you want to:
•Have good Mother-Daughter Relationship
•Understand her feelings, needs and stresses in her life
•Share your concern about her pessimistic attitude and academic grades being affected
•Support her with her feelings
Then encourage her to see a Counselor in school; and tell her that you will be willing to have Individual and Family Counseling if recommended.
I understand your concern about her.
Have a Heart to Heart talk with your daughter and tell her that you want to:
•Have good Mother-Daughter Relationship
•Understand her feelings, needs and stresses in her life
•Share your concern about her pessimistic attitude and academic grades being affected
•Support her with her feelings
Then encourage her to see a Counselor in school; and tell her that you will be willing to have Individual and Family Counseling if recommended.
Adolescence is a very stressful time. The reorganization of brain connections can produce distractedness, apathy, anger, or depression. Consulting with her school health service and her academic counselor (with her permission) can sometimes reveal too heavy a load on a student. Try to ensure with the aid of your LMD that there is no physical problem, if all these measures fail ask about psychiatric consultation.
I recommend having an open conversation with her to see if there is anything specific that is going on in her life that may be affecting her. If there is a family history of depression or other mental illness then I would also discuss with her possibility of depression. Asking her about her moods, motivation, sleep, appetite and especially safety (thoughts of hurting herself or suicide) are some of the questions you can start with and then help her to seek further evaluation and treatment.
Talk to her supportively. If this is a new behavior, may be it is coming on due to some particular reason. Explore as that will help you to help her out.
