Raising a teenager is hard enough. However, raising a teen who suffers from depression, anxiety and panic attacks is even harder. This group is for parents of depressed teens who need support, advice, or simply a place to vent. This group is also for parents who have "been there, done that" and can help others out.

As one of our parents has written: "There is a line that has to be drawn between enabling the behavior and punishing the behavior, and the trick is to learn to convince the teen that they CAN change their perspective on life, while at the same time accepting that at least some of what they feel is completely out of their control. If they simply accept that they are "ill" and that there's nothing they can do about it, then they will suffer from depression and let it rule their lives their entire life. On the other hand, if you push them too far in the other direction and try to convince them that they aren't really sick, the depression only gets worse."

The goal of this group is to help YOU, the Parent.

Membership to this group is "Moderated" - all memberships must be approved by the Moderator. This is done to attempt to stop "spammers" from joining our group. Therefore, you MUST let the Moderator know why you wish to join this group. If you do not post an introduction to the Moderator, your membership will not be approved.

Please note that many parents of depressed teens find that their Faith is sometimes the only thing that gets them through. If you can't offer advice, feel free to offer a Prayer.