If you’ve wondered if your child might be suffering from depression, don’t dismiss the thought. Children can and do suffer from depression, and seeking a diagnosis from a mental health professional is the best way to determine what you’re dealing with and how to proceed. At the very least, having a mental health professional evaluate your child should give you an ally in understanding what’s happening. And if there is a diagnosis, you’ll have a partner with whom to choose a course of treatment.
Web MD has a useful article on the topic that I’ve excerpted below. If you believe you’re recognizing symptoms in your child, contact a mental health professional to schedule an evaluation sooner than later. If you’re in the greater Cleveland area, we hope you’ll consider contacting us. Outside the Cleveland area, you can contact your primary care physician, insurance provider or local hospital for a referral.
How Can I Tell if My Child Is Depressed?
The symptoms of depression in children vary. It is often undiagnosed and untreated because they are passed off as normal emotional and psychological changes that occur during growth. Early medical studies focused on “masked” depression, where a child’s depressed mood was evidenced by acting out or angry behavior. While this does occur, particularly in younger children, many children display sadness or low mood similar to adults who are depressed. The primary symptoms of depression revolve around sadness, a feeling of hopelessness, and mood changes.
Signs and symptoms of depression in children include:
- Irritability or anger
- Continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness
- Social withdrawal
- Increased sensitivity to rejection
- Changes in appetite — either increased or decreased
- Changes in sleep— sleeplessness or excessive sleep
- Vocal outbursts or crying
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue and low energy
- Physical complaints (such as stomachaches, headaches) that don’t respond to treatment
- Reduced ability to function during events and activities at home or with friends, in school, extracurricular activities, and in other hobbies or interests
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired thinking or concentration
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Not all children have all of these symptoms. In fact, most will display different symptoms at different times and in different settings. Although some children may continue to function reasonably well in structured environments, most kids with significant depression will suffer a noticeable change in social activities, loss of interest in school and poor academic performance, or a change in appearance. Children may also begin using drugs or alcohol, especially if they are over age 12.
See the rest of this article on Web MD by clicking here.