Roots Renewal Ranch Spotlights Depression Rooms

Argyle, TX – Roots Renewal Ranch, a local mental health treatment facility for teen girls, recently went in-depth on depression rooms in a blog. It opens by acknowledging the reality of teens and their messy rooms: it’s common, and not always due to depression. “But what if their messy room means more? What if your daughter doesn’t have the motivation (or even the strength) to pick it up because she’s managing depression? How can you tell? How can you help?” the blog wonders. Those are the questions Roots Renewal Ranch goes on to answer in the piece.

First, they offer parents some reassurance: only 4.4% of teens have depression, so sometimes messy rooms are due to other reasons, like rebellion, a desire to own their space, or even to irritate their parents. Depression may be the cause, though, and the blog stresses the importance of parents understanding the effects of depression on teens.

The blog explains the exhaustion and fatigue that comes with depression, and then goes into the reasons why it’s so tiring. Depression disturbs sleep, raises the body’s cortisol (a stress hormone), negatively impacts the brain’s reward system, and causes brain fog, and inflammation. “If your teen daughter is living with depression, chances are, she’s managing one or more of these things. Whether it’s fatigue, lack of motivation, physical discomfort, or increased cortisol levels, one thing is certain: it isn’t laziness. If she is depressed and she isn’t cleaning her room, it’s likely because it takes more energy than she has,” the blog informs parents, encouraging empathy.

Next, the article ventures into the additional symptoms of teen depression to look for. These include sleep disturbances, self-isolation, changes in eating habits, substance use, pessimism, a lack of interest in activities, and emotional outbursts. Roots Renewal Ranch recognizes even these symptoms may not mean the teen has depression, but says, “Treatment is beneficial to any teen, especially if she is managing big feelings or changes. Therapy could help her cultivate healthy coping mechanisms and handle her emotions in more productive ways.”

Roots Renewal Ranch assures parents that a lack of motivation in teens alone isn’t something to worry about. They cite teens’ tendencies to live in the moment and the amount of growth they’re still undergoing as reasons for it.

Many people believe having a clean room contributes to better mental health, and Roots Renewal Ranch confirms that is the case for teens, too. They encourage teens to clean their rooms once a week if they can. If a teen is living with depression, however, that comes with additional challenges. The blog suggests parents first seek treatment for teens with depression. Then, they can help their teens with tasks such as cleaning when needed.

Roots Renewal Ranch emphasizes the importance of parents not forcing their teens to clean, and instead recognizing the difficulty depression causes. They say this may only cause more stress and resentment in teens with depression. Instead, they suggest parents help their teens, and always remind them they are loved regardless of how clean their room is.

Roots Renewal Ranch is a mental health facility for teen girls in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. They offer treatment to manage aggression, and trauma-informed care, on top of therapies that focus on healing for the whole teen, not just their mind. They work to teach every girl that she is strong, she is loved, and she is enough. For more information on Roots Renewal Ranch and their services, visit their website or call 888-399-0489.