Category: Teen Depression

Is Your Teenager Depressed? 5 Red Flags

Available for Interviews: Dr. Pete Loper

Dr. Pete Loper, MD, MSEd, FAAP, is a triple board-certified physician in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry. He is also a professor and executive coach and is dedicated to mental health and wellness advocacy.

What Dr. Loper could say on
Determining Your Teen’s Possible Depression:

As a pediatrician, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and the parent of a teenager, I believe that the best strategy to support our teenagers’ well-being is to engage in a consistent practice of meaningful interaction.  Being intentional with dedicating a few minutes a day to “check-in” with your adolescent can go a long way.  But even with a consistent and open dialogue regarding their mental health, teenagers may not always be forthcoming in telling you how they feel.  Life gets busy, and there are more distractions today than ever.  Given their independence and reluctance to fully express themselves, especially to mom or dad, it is important to be on the lookout for “red flags” that may indicate that they may be experiencing depression.  Below are 5 “red flags” that may indicate that your teenager is experiencing a depressive episode.  To determine if your adolescent might be at risk for depression ask the following questions: 

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Taking Must-Needed Social Media Breaks for Well-Being

Available for Interviews: Dr. Pete Loper

Dr. Pete Loper, MD, MSEd, FAAP, is a triple board-certified physician in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry. He is also a professor and executive coach and is dedicated to mental health and wellness advocacy.

What Dr. Loper could say on
Social Media:

82% of the US population currently uses social media.  However, as a psychiatrist, I have observed first-hand the negative impact of excessive social media use on my patients’ mental health and well-being. I have published my observations on this topic in Medscape and Current Psychiatry (please see links below). These are the talking points that I have found most effective when educating my patients, regardless of age, about the necessity of taking a “social media break”:

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Talking to Our Children About School Violence

Available for Interviews: Dr. Pete Loper

Dr. Pete Loper, MD, MSEd, FAAP, is a triple board-certified physician in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry. He is also a professor and executive coach and is dedicated to mental health and wellness advocacy.

What Dr. Loper could say on
How to Best Support Our Children’s Mental Health
When Tragic Current Events Unfold:

The horrific school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas has brought trauma and anxiety at once to a community that is now mourning the loss of 19 children and two teachers—and has brought collective trauma to our country as the conundrum concerning violence at our educational institutions rages on year after year.

Some ways that we can best support our children’s mental health and to help them process and cope with the often unpredictable and upsetting news events can fall into three categories:

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