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Understanding Depression In Children

The subject of depression in children has risen to the foreground in the last twenty years. People are coming to understand that depression in children is as common as depression in adults. In fact, one in eight adolescents is thought to have depression. Since childhood, adolescence and teen hood is marked with changes many people assume that the attitudes, thoughts and feelings of their children are just stages that they will grow out of. It is important to know what the signs of depression in children are so you can help your child if he or she is depressed. Clinical depression in children is not something that children can snap out of, no matter how hard they want to – or how hard their parents wish for them to.

Here are the signs you should look out for:

• The child has a persistent sadness that will not go away.
• The child may feel hopelessness, irritability and may become easily agitated.
• The child may withdraw from friends, family and even things they once enjoyed doing, such as participating in sports or doing a hobby.
• The child may miss school, skip school or have a decrease in their school performance.
• The child who suffers from childhood depression may be indecisive, forgetful and lack the ability concentrate.
• The child may feel guilty over the way that he or she feels and have a low self esteem. The child’s sleeping and eating patterns may change.
• The child may have physical complaints.
• The child may have low motivation and feel tired all the time.
• The child may have a flat or empty mood.
• The child may be grouchy and hard to get along with.
• The child may get involved in drugs or alcohol.

The first thing that is recommended for depression in children is to have the children undergo a complete physical examination to rule out any disorder or disease which could be bringing on the depression. If everything has been ruled out and the child does seem to have a depression issue he or she should be referred to a professional who is expert at dealing with depression in children.

An evaluation that is done by a mental health professional to detect depression in children generally involves taking a complete history of the family. It is important to know whether anyone in your family has any history of depressive illnesses. The doctor will need to know the symptoms of the child, how long they have been occurring, when they started and so on.

Depression in children is treatable, just like adult depression. With the proper medication, monitoring and/or therapy a child can be lifted from the dark place that he or she has found themselves in. However, depression in children can never be treated if caregivers are not on their toes and mindful of their children’s emotions, thought processes and day to day life. Stay plugged in to your child so you will be able to recognize if depression ever creeps in.

Once your child has been treated for depression you should stay on the lookout for signs that it is returning. Children who suffer from major depression are more likely to have another bout of depression within five years. By knowing what to watch out for, knowing who to talk to if help is needed and by keeping the lines of communication open with your child you might possibly be able to stay off depression and keep it from ever rearing its ugly head again. Be observant, depression in children is serious business.