Characteristics of Depression In Children
You can see that moments of depressed mood make up a normal part of your child's life. You even expect such periods at times of afflict or change, especially following such serious losses as the death of a loved or the loss of a good companion . So how can you tell whether your child needs healing for clinical depression?
Three features distinguish normal depressed moods from clinical depression in childhood: how much (degree), how deep (pervasiveness), and how long (duration). Clinical depression isn't a passing sad mood, but involves a marked swing of mood that continues for most of the day, nearly every day, and lasts for at least two weeks. Childhood depression is becoming more and more common amongst children and teens. Currently 1 out of 8 teens has depression, and that number seems to be popular from year to year. Often children and teens do not get the mental health services that they necessitates, not because their parents are not paying attention, but because parents often have problem identifying depression in kids and teens. Children and adolescents are notoriously reticent in describing their feelings of sadness often linked with depression. Instead, kids and teens endure depression through a diverse set of symptoms commonly seen in adults.
A psychotherapist or psychologist diagnoses depression by watching and interviewing the child and by talking to the guardians or other people familiar with the child's symptoms, mood and mannerisms. Becoming aware of the signs of depression can alert parents to seek the professional help the child may need.
The following are symptoms that parents should look for in their children: frequent headaches, frequent stomachaches, changes in appetite, changes in sleep patterns, inattention, lack of energy, and social isolation. Children who present with several of these symptoms may be enduring from depression, and may need to be evaluated by a mental health professional such as a psychotherapist in order to obtain ] relief from their symptoms, and avoid further psychological complications resulting from untreated depression.
By: Kaynaz Nasseri
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