my 19 year old niece who is a very capable and gorgeous girl appears to be suffering from depression? she is not diagnosed but is feeling sad easy to tears, anxious at times and difficulty sleeping. she has just finished her final school year and did really well but this year appears at a loss just wondering what would be our first step with her?
Hi, The symptoms that you have mentioned are suggestive of depressive disorder. Adolescence is a very vulnerable age. There are effective treatment options available for depression, right from medicines to psychotherapy. Current lot of antidepressants are very safe. I would advise you to take your niece to a local psychiatrist as soon as possible as it is imperative to start treatment at the earliest for good response and to minimize any long term negative outcome. Wishing you niece a speedy recovery.