Isolation and Depression, The Common Troubles that Plague Teenagers with Disabilities

Mark Reyes
3 min readOct 25, 2021

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Teenagers with disabilities can be confronted with heavy insecurities as their lives go by. A person’s life as a teenager is where they begin to feel more conscious of themselves and their surroundings. They encounter matters that they’ve never felt strongly before as children, and such their troubles are intensely amplified. Disabled teenagers may find themselves filled with more worries and emotional stress. Some teenagers with disabilities can be capable and responsible when taking care of themselves. However, isolation and fitting in with their peers will certainly be problems they’ll encounter.

One of the common problems among disabled teens is discrimination and isolation. Fellow teenagers would likely fail to understand and form a connection with a disabled peer and may act unfavorably toward them. As a result, a disabled teenager may feel disliked or even bullied. In another case, teenagers may actively avoid a disabled person, making them feel unwanted. And in other common cases, disabled teenagers may even actively seek isolation. They would opt to be alone in fear of being rejected by their peers or to spare them the burden of taking care of a disabled friend.

Depression is also a problem among disabled teenagers. Feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest, low self-esteem, and worthlessness are only a few of the symptoms of depression. It is neither a weakness nor something that can be cured with sheer willpower. A depressed teenager may lose interest in their hobbies, become irritable and angry, and develop suicidal thoughts.

Parents need to observe their children’s behavior and regularly check for any depressive symptoms. However, changes in behavior can be difficult to detect. Signing up with a therapist or a behavior support specialist for disabled children can aid in keeping their children’s mental health in check.

Teenagers are likely to experience plenty of mental changes as they grow up. These changes are likely to occur with bursts of emotions that they can’t control. These changes are unavoidable and tend to lead to anxiety, depression, and stress disorders. For the case of a disabled teenager, the effects of these changes may be amplified due to discrimination and isolation by their peers.

With their children’s emotional health at stake, parents may find themselves becoming overbearing and protective toward them. While such parental instinct is natural, children might find themselves constrained. Further down the line, this may present more emotional problems for the child.

Parents are responsible for keeping providing physical and emotional security for their children. However, disability can also cause stress for the family. The costs of taking care of a disabled child, both financially and mentally, can take a toll on the parents’ wellbeing. Fortunately, plenty of disability programs provide care for the parents as well.

Fortunately for disabled teenagers and their parents, they are not alone as society hears their problems. Plenty of disability programs in Sydney have been established mainly to help citizens with disabilities. Behavior Support programs have also been established to support people with behavioral conditions. While many of these programs for disability support in Sydney are funded by private entities, the government also made its move by rolling out the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Junction Works, an organization for NDIS in Western Sydney, devotes itself to caring for disability, community, youth, children, and families. With the help of their specialists and mainstream programs, they dedicate themselves to being a solid organization for disability support in Sydney.

Technology has made it easier to apply for these disability programs. Plenty of organizations for NDIS in Western Sydney, such as “The Junction Works” have expanded their offers to online consultations. Numerous programs such as behavior support and therapy are now more accessible with a few clicks. This expansion is remarkably helpful for disabled teenagers and children who have trouble with traveling. However, programs that require the presence of both specialists and clients such as medical examinations still need to be conducted physically

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Mark Reyes
Mark Reyes

Written by Mark Reyes

Our mission drives our determination to generate more opportunities for people with a disability, and to improve the lives of people.

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