Depression Learning

Child Depression Overview

Children get sad from time to time, and they get the blues sometimes when stressful events happen, such as a pet dying. It’s normal for children to feel sad when sad things happen. However, child depression is something completely different than sadness or the blues. Depression in children might manifest as persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities of daily living. The disorder may also be characterized by outbursts of anger, crying spells, difficulty concentrating, and withdrawal from friends and family.

If your child is having sleep disturbances, feeling a sense of hopelessness and sadness he or she might be depressed. Children express their depression in different ways. In some children, they might cry a lot without apparent cause. Some children might lose their interest in food, while other kids comfort themselves with food and overeat. These are just a few of the most common symptoms of child depression.

Causes of depression in children are the same as for adults. A combination of factors contributes to clinical depression in children. Thoughts and moods are carried through pathways created by neuroreceptors in the brain. Stresses of everyday life, physical health, family history, genetics, environmental factors, and biochemical disturbances in the brain are all contributing factors of depression in adults and children. If a mom, dad, or grandparent is clinically depressed, children are at greater risk to become depressed themselves. Children raised in dysfunctional families are also at greater risk to become depressed.

Boys under the age of 10 are more likely to suffer from depression than girls. Conversely, girls are at greater risk to become depressed by the age of 16. Depression in children can be compounded with other disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Children who have been showing signs of depression for two weeks or more should be evaluated by a physician. Your child’s doctor may check for physical causes for depression, and a mental health evaluation may be indicated.

Doctors cannot do blood tests to diagnose depression, although, blood tests may be ordered to rule out any physical causes of depression. Doctors diagnose depression by comparing the symptoms of depression with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. If your child has at least 5 of the 9 symptoms of depression, the doctor can make a definitive diagnosis of depression.

Child depression is treated in the same way that adult depression is treated. Counseling may be the first treatment of choice for depression help, and if there are no significant improvements, depression drugs (antidepressants) may be ordered in conjunction with psychotherapy. One of the depression drugs of choice is Prozac. The FDA approved the use of Prozac for children 8 years old and older.

Parents should not take depression in children lightly. Parents should observe their children of any signs that might indicate their child is thinking of suicide. If your child is talking about wanting to commit suicide, is talking about death and dying, has morbid thoughts, is abusing substances, or giving away his belongings, parents should seek depression help for their child from their health care provider.

It is important that parents recognize the signs of depression. Many parents brush off their children’s changes in behavior as part of growing up. Sadly, there are still people who associate depression as some sort of stigma, and they would rather deny their children might be depressed. The contraindications for denying the possible need for diagnosis and treatment of depression in children are that your children will have to live with depression when they don’t have to. Depressed children often become depressed adults.

Related Depression Posts

• Teen Depression Overview
• Depression and the Elderly
• Top 10 Signs of Depression in Children
• Medication & Drugs
• Is there a Connection between Adult ADHD and Depression?
• Explain the Difference between Depressed and Depression?
• Signs Of Depression