Many teens have a bad day every now and then, but for some, those bad days can last weeks, if not months. So how can you tell if your child has depression or just a case of the blues? Experts say to know the difference, you have to recognize the signs.

"I definitely didn't recognize it at first," says teen depression survivor Jaclyn Bennett. For Bennett, tackling depression took years of fighting with herself and the effects of not dealing with her condition.

"By the time I did go back and say oh, ok, well I was depressed at the time, then the other side effects had surfaced," says Bennett."

Side effects like alcohol abuse and a change in the way she ate. Things she thought were normal. "By the time I sought treatment for that type of thing, it didn't occur to me that I had depression and that was the root of the problems," says Bennett.

Experts say it's common for teens to overlook the condition. "Teenagers go through stress in their life and they're developmentally trying to figure out where they fit in, so they don't realize it could be a major depression," says Robin Breeden, a counselor who works with teens at Harrisonburg's McNulty center.

She says young people view depression in a different way than adults. "Sometimes they don't see that there's an end and that they can get through it and at that point they may decide to take their life," says Breeden.

For that reason, experts say parents need to be on guard, paying attention to any change in their child's behavior, but especially looking out for things like a sudden drop in grades, a change in eating or sleeping habits, or a loss of interest in things that are normally important.

"Sometimes it's more acting out behavior, just a change in behavior over a period of time, just not being themselves," says Lois Horne, who deals with young people at her Staunton practice.

Horne says it's important for parents to seek outside help if they think their son or daughter is depressed. She says it's not always easy to get a teen into counseling, but once they take that first step, the healing can begin.

"I think one of the things that worked to my benefit was that I was so stubborn," says Bennett. "If you are stubborn, don't let it work for your depression, work it against your depression. Just decide I'm not going to give up. This is really hard, I will make it through this, no matter how bad it gets."

Health officials say the number one cause of suicide is untreated depression, so early detection and treatment can mean the difference between life and death.