Written by Editorial Team
Depression is a state of mood disorder that causes a persistent and more severe feeling of sadness and loss of interest. This mood disorder is not implied to just adults and teens. Children are also prone to depression. Continue reading to know more about the causes, symptoms and remedies regarding depression in children.
About 2% of preschool and school age children are affected by depression. It can significantly hinder a child’s ability to function. Therefore, more often the signs of depression in the child are perceived as laziness and over aggressiveness. Normally, depression is a stage, which passes with time. Nevertheless, in some cases, clinical depression, if not detected and treated on time, can affect the child badly.
The symptoms of childhood depression may vary. Symptoms will depend on the child’s age, lifestyle and many other reasons. If your child shows these symptoms and it interferes with his normal social activities, interests, schoolwork etc. then it may indicate that your child is under depression. The signs and symptoms of childhood depression include:
The causes of childhood depression are unknown. It usually does not have one specific cause. It could be a combination of any of the following factors:
Once the child shows signs of depression, never brush it off as his stubbornness or laziness. Compelling and punishing the child to do anything or trying to teach him to behave himself will worsen the depression in the child. Consult a child psychologist as soon as your child shows the signs of depression. He can find out the reasons of depression. He can plan medications and therapy (which usually involves antidepressant medicines and psychotherapy) to treat your child for childhood depression. The treatment will depend on the cause and age of the child. Along with this, you should take some measures to overcome this phase in your child. This includes:
Although the childhood depression may resolve on its own (not in all cases, though) even if not treated, the child may experience it again. This time the impact can be worse. Therefore eliminating the root cause of depression through treatment is very important.
It is seen that children who have a family history of depression are more likely to experience depression themselves. Children whose parents suffer from depression tend to experience their first episode of depression much earlier than the children whose parents do not have such condition. Also children from families in which there are conflicts, fights or disturbance, are at a greater risk of depression. In order to prevent childhood depression it is imperative to decrease the risk factors and provide children with a secure and protective environment that is appropriate for their development.
Did your child exhibit any signs of childhood depression ? How did you deal with it? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.
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