The New York Times Contributing Family Writer Lisa Belkin discusses everything a parent may want to to read about in her Motherlode Blog.  Subjects are culled from the news, from her own experience as a parent, from the latest books and studies and from reader input.  Of interest to readers of BernardsVoices.org, Belkin’s most recent post discusses depression and suicide ideation in teens, precipitated by yesterday’s article in the NYT about three recent student suicides at Cornell University.

A key difference between ordinary teen angst and depression is how long the “angst” lasts and the effect this mood has on the teen experiencing it. For example, if a young person’s mood seems to be affecting his or her ability to engage in family and school activities and peer relationships and is coupled with physical symptoms such difficulty eating and/or sleeping for a period of at least two weeks or longer, it is worthwhile to seek outside help.