Childhood Depression
Do you worry about childhood depression? Most of us know that kids have days when they feel sad, lonely, and even depressed. But childhood depression is something more. It's a serious mental health condition that needs medical assessment and treatment.
At any given time, one out of every five young people is dealing with mental health problems. The good news is that health care professionals can accurately diagnose, treat, and manage these mental health problems with psychotherapy and medication. That includes childhood depression.
Is childhood depression different from the blues?
Yes. Childhood depression is different from the everyday "blues" that most kids get as they develop. The fact that a child feels sad, lonely, or irritable does not mean he or she has childhood depression.
Childhood depression is persistent sadness. When it occurs, the child feels alone, hopeless, helpless, and worthless. When this type of sadness is unending, it disrupts every part of the child's life. It interferes with the child's daily activities, schoolwork, and peer relationships. It also affects the life of each family member.
Childhood depression can be assessed, diagnosed, and effectively treated with medications and/or psychotherapy. Left untreated, childhood depression is a serious depressive disorder that can lead to suicidal thoughts or even suicide.
What causes childhood depression?
The causes of childhood depression are unknown. It could be caused by any combination of factors that relate to physical health, life events, family history, environment, genetic vulnerability, and biochemical disturbance. Childhood depression is not a passing bad mood. Nor will it always go away without proper medical treatment.
What are the signs and symptoms of childhood depression?
The symptoms of childhood depression may vary. It depends on the child and his or her particular mood disorder. Many times, childhood depression goes undiagnosed and untreated. That's because it's passed off as normal emotional and psychological change that occurs during growth.
In the past, medical trials focused on "masked" depression in children. Masked depression was associated with a child "acting out" an angry or sad mood. While acting out is common in children, especially in younger children, many children experience sadness or a depressed mood in ways similar to how adults who are depressed experience them. So children can also have the primary symptoms of depression: sadness, a feeling of hopelessness, and mood swings.
The signs and symptoms of childhood depression include:
- Changes in appetite -- either increased appetite or decreased
- Changes in sleep -- sleeplessness or excessive sleep
- Continuous feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue and low energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired thinking or concentration
- Increased sensitivity to rejection
- Irritability or anger
- Physical complaints (such as stomachaches or headaches) that do not respond to treatment
- Reduced ability to function during events and activities at home or with friends, in school or during extracurricular activities, or when involved with hobbies or other interests
- Social withdrawal
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Vocal outbursts or crying
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