Depression in Children

Recently depression has been recognized as one of the psychological ailments that need proper treatment to cure. People from all age groups suffer from that, yet it is hard to believe that children suffer from it too.
Depression among children usually goes unnoticed or unrecognized because usually it has different reasons compared to our “stressful events”.
The major symptoms of a child depression include
• Feelings of hopelessness and sadness
• Mood changes
• Being socially shy
• Increased or decreased sleep or appetite
• Low concentration
• Tiredness and complaints about “aches” which do not get cured by medicines
Fortunately there are a very low percentage of children who suffer acute depression but unfortunately this percentage is on the rise. Different factors can contribute to a child’s depression. Most common of them are disturbed life events and depression genes. Others can include some physical disability, parents’ conflicts and social pressures. This is now scientifically proved that depression genes are passed from parents to children. If any of the parents have depression record, their children are much vulnerable to be depressed.
One easy way to know if a child is depressed or not, is to look out if some or all of the symptoms of child depression are present, if these persist for longer than a week then it is not good news. The child definitely is depressed. In that case the first thing to do is to consult a professional therapist.
Treatments for depressed children differ from the treatments for the adults. They range from counseling to prescribe medical courses. Input from the child’s parent, teachers, friends and relatives is a very important part of the diagnosis and treatment.
Though a lot of research is put into the effectiveness of the use of anti depressants in children; the counseling sessions remain the better option. Usually children do respond to counseling but in severe cases, medicines are prescribed.
As a parent your duty is not only to recognize that your child has depression but also to seek professional help. Denying that a child has depression and refusing to seek medical advice can have fatal consequences. You don’t only risk the mental and physical health of a child but also put his/her life at stake.
So seek mental advice now. Have a healthy child. Have fun parenting.

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