Depression and children

[Jeff]

Depression is a terrible thing, bringing on a sense of hopelessness and feeling useless. All of us feel sad from time to time, but when someone says he or she is depressed, this sadness becomes extreme and stop them from carrying on with their daily routine. And what’s worse, it’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of depression. My sister is a school teacher and she says children are not immune to depression. There is at least one depressed child in each class room! And research shows that most adults who suffer from depression would have actually suffered symptoms when they were children. It is tough to specifically spot depression in children since they might not tell you exactly how they feel – they tend to react physically. When children become sad and wont talk to anyone or cry, I guess it’s a field day for the bullies!

[Marie]

Hello Jeff...another owl, I see! I was just prowling around and saw this post.

You probably wont believe this – but in the early 1980s a lot of psychiatrists were actually under the impression that kids can’s experience depression due to lack of emotional maturity to feel hopeless. But we do know that kids do feel pretty much down for all sorts of reasons. There are also too many symptoms to watch out for, which is why it is tough to spot them. As far as kids are concerned, they either just look unhappy and sulky, or experience various aches without any obvious reason. They spend time in bed but don’t sleep well and wake up early, they do badly at school and have weight fluctuations. They become introverted and wont mix with other kids, they go around feeling totally disinterested and do badly at school. Some kids even go so far as to think about suicide. That’s when you got to be real careful.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message

[David]

If your kid even talks about suicide – you have to worry big time! It’s time to get professional help. Most adults tend to brush off kids’ threats of suicide thinking they’re just trying to get extra attention. Kids must be taken seriously – you could get the other family members to be supportive – the kid will probably just feel better with that kind of closeness.

Depression is difficult to understand and kids who are already sick or have experienced some kind of abuse or even come from families where the parents are always quarreling are more at risk. It could be as simple as fear of facing the exams – especially if they are not prepared enough.

In any case, just worrying won’t do. If a kid shows symptoms of depression or anything out of the ordinary for over four weeks, you’d need to get to your GP, pronto. Talking to the kid’s friends will help understand the situation a little better, too.

[Kim Wilde]

I was wondering what kind of physical symptoms are common in depression – apparently headaches top the list. Kids who have depression also suffer severe headaches – and also, girls are more prone to headaches than boys are. With kids who are in the preschool or elementary school, you’ll see them looking a bit serious or appear sick. Unlike kids who cry and throw tantrums when they are irritated, depressed kids seem to be doing it all the time. They have low self esteem – and seem self-destructive. Slightly older kids won’t study well, act weird and have problems with their friends. They get aggressive as well, and suicidal. They seem to hate themselves. I think kids deserve a happy childhood and the best thing is to ensure that any symptoms or unhappiness are dealt with in time to avoid them developing into major emotional issues.

[Susan]

Depression in kids is much the same as in adults – except that they may not be expressive enough verbally – which is why they express themselves through their behavior. They develop phobias, separation anxiety disorder and other problems. Kids tend to show their depression as irritation – I think the happy thing is unlike adults who sit and feel disinterested when they are depressed, kids are not like that – no matter what, they seem to enjoy certain things. I spoke to a counselor and she says that kids have to show certain symptoms for a certain length of time – say 3-4 weeks before they can be said to have major depression and need treatment. Some of them are irritation, disinterest, tiredness, feeling guilty or useless, lack of concentration, being indecisive, thoughts about death and suicide, etc. If these things persist for weeks…then these kids must get help.

[Leo]

To really diagnose the problem, the doctor needs to talk to the kid who’s showing these symptoms. Medical history also matters. Lots of times treatment will involve counseling or psychotherapy. They might also prescribe antidepressants. I think just talking helps the kid a lot and that’s the first major step to getting better. Its not as easy as it sounds because its necessary to identify the reason why the depression came about and learn how to deal with it. Unfortunately, unlike adults who can just snap out of depression, kids cant. It takes much longer and more effort than that. Apparently kids bounce right back after a while, but recurrence of depression is very likely. The good thing is kids respond fast when they get treatment – usually at home.

[Marie]

About psychotherapy… I think you need to be very committed – taking medication is a lot easier. But psychotherapy is really beneficial since it prevents the depression from getting worse. Antidepressants take a while to work…and you need to figure out which one works for you and then, you might have to be on medication for a year or so, or the prescribed time – otherwise there’s the risk of relapse. The doctors cannot predict whether someone with depression will relapse or not. Medications are scary because of their side effects and I’d think twice before starting them. Side effects differ from person to person and can leave you with all sorts of problems, according to a friend who is on Effexor. Any idea how kids react to medication? Is it safe?

[Leo]

See – no medication is a hundred per cent safe – and antidepressant medicine is no different. There are new things being discovered in the pharma field all the time. But as yet, there is nothing to prove what effect this medication will have in relation to a kid’s development. As far as Effexor is concerned, it is cautioned that it is better not to use it for kids. The same goes for Paxil. The doctors are unsure whether these antidepressants will work for children; if so, how. They would rather not risk the side effects with kids. These drugs are more effective for adults. That’s why we find most doctors suggesting therapy and counseling for kids who suffer from depression, until the problem is so severe that they need medication.

[Kim Wilde]

To a large extent, I feel that it is up to parents should develop awareness about problems like this so that they can make the right decisions for their kids. If depression builds up, it’s long term consequences will certainly be negative, both for the family and the kid. I know someone who has grown up with depression, who wishes it had been diagnosed in the early stages. Sure she managed to cope with it, but she worries that it might have had some effect on her personality – she is still extremely shy in spite of having been treated with antidepressants satisfactorily. So – making the decision of whether a kid should be treated with medication or counseling will vary from child to child, how bad the problem is and whether it will impact the child’s growth in any way. I wonder when is a good time to get medical advice?

[David]

You can seek medical advice when the symptoms of depression are serious and last for sometime, and seem to be there for no logical reason, if your child has health problems. Rush for medical help if your child is using alcohol – strange as it sounds, it is possible. It is the same for drug use. If they are not suitable or physician-approved, it could be the cause. Also find out about possible side effects of these drugs. Sometimes the depression just passes off, you have to be patient and wait for the child to get over it. You will already know that kids need good nutrition and adequate sleep to cope with whatever health issues they have, whether it is physical or mental. They definitely need a lot of TLC to solve most of their problems.

[Susan]

Everything depends on the right diagnosis, after which the prospects of the child recovering from depression are good. There are several treatments being recommended for depression – both individual and group therapy involving the family. Treatment of the family rather than a parent is very effective and makes all the difference in recovering from depression. And for kids, play therapy works great, especially with the younger ones. Very young children cannot express their feelings clearly and trained play therapists help these kids in a play setting. These kids are watched as they play and based on this the therapist helps them express their feelings in a proper manner. It is amazing how much a child can learn about communication in a play setting! Peer group approaches, as they call them, are also very beneficial.

[Jeff]

Its great to know all that is being said here in this forum. Most of the time I hear people reacting quite unfairly when they hear a child’s depressed – they wonder what on earth the child might have to be depressed about! Obviously it comes from ignorance about clinical depression – I mean, its not just some ordinary off mood kind of feeling. Clinical depression looks similar to temporary depression, but it is actually more serious and lasts a lot longer. It is felt that it need not be the result of what is currently happening in a child’s life. Another thing we all assume is that every kid has a very carefree life. Kids have their pressures too – getting good grades, being accepted by their peers, getting along with their friends – ask them, and they will tell you. More than that, they don’t have the sort of control adults have over these factors. It could be fearsome to carry these thoughts and manage.

[Marie]

True. If not treated, depression really brings a child down – school performance and learning get affected – they have problems with making friend, low confidence levels, lack of trust etc. – all the stuff that comes naturally to them…I think this is what leads them to become junkies, using drugs, alcohol, etc. It is so sad to think of such a waste of a life just because there was no timely diagnosis…these kids are the ones that become violent and aggressive, get on the wrong side of the law and develop suicidal tendencies. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that suicide comes up third as the main cause of death where kids and adolescents are concerned…after violence and accidents. Terrifying, huh? When depression carries through a child’s development, obviously there are long-term effects that don’t go away!

[David]

Treatment is necessary – but again, diagnosis is the issue. Usually for kids unusual behavior is noticed only when they become very obvious – like when they disrupt the classroom, get thrown out of school, don’t do well at all consistently in their studies – or hurt others and themselves, too. And quite often, these can be confused as ADHD – delinquency and other stuff instead of being seen as symptoms of depressive disorder. It is vital to first find out whether the child’s suffering from depression or other things – either way – these days there are so many therapies that work, it is only a matter of time before the child can be helped out of it. That’s a blessing – that children recover a lot quicker with the right treatment.

[Jeff]

Some statistics I picked up – apparently, at any point of time, at least 5% kids and adolescents in the country can be diagnosed with depression. And as they grow older, the following are affected: about 1% of preschoolers, 2% of school-age children, and 5% of adolescents. Almost 25 to 50% of all children and adolescents who receive psychiatric treatment are there because of depression and its related problems. Childhood depression is more prevalent in boys than in girls until they reach adolescence, and then, it is the girls more than the boys! Mostly kids whose relatives are victims of depression and anxiety disorders are the ones that are prone to suffer from depression - the ones that don’t have relatives with these disorders don’t seem to develop it.