Moreover, the symptoms associated with mood disorders may manifest differently in each person, are caused by various factors, and may erupt at different ages or stages of development. Some clinicians point out that the depression is often difficult to distinguish from "normal teenage moodiness" and that symptom expressions vary considerably from teen to teen with some mainly withdrawing socially and others acting out aggressively (Smith, Barston, Jaffe, Dumke, Segal 2007)
Moreover, the symptoms associated with mood disorders may manifest differently in each person, are caused by various factors, and may erupt at different ages or stages of development. Some clinicians point out that the depression is often difficult to distinguish from "normal teenage moodiness" and that symptom expressions vary considerably from teen to teen with some mainly withdrawing socially and others acting out aggressively (Smith, Barston, Jaffe, Dumke, Segal 2007)
Blackman (1995) notes that depression can be easily overlooked or missed in teenagers because the adolescent stage is characterized by "emotional turmoil, mood lability, gloomy introspection, great drama and heightened sensitivity." A depressed mood may be a "temporary response" and common due to the "normal maturation process of puberty," (Van Voorhees 2007)