Is your child always sad? What parents need to know about childhood depression

Do you sometimes feel like your child is not the same as he or she used to be? Does he or she get angry over small things, is always sulking, and seems to be bored with things he or she used to enjoy? These may not just be normal child behaviors. Just like adults, young children can develop depression, which is mental stress. Treating it properly can be very important for the child's entire life.

We all know that childhood is not always a happy time. Children's moods are like stormy seas. A calm sea can suddenly turn into a storm, and then return to normal just as quickly as the sun rises and the wind blows. However, depression is not just a normal mood swing. It is a real illness that can affect even young children very seriously.

Is this just sadness? Or is it something more?

"We've only recently recognized that children can get depression," says David Fassler, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Vermont. "When I was in medical school, about 20 years ago, we were taught that young children don't get depression."

But the truth is, kids do get depression. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2% of children and 4% to 8% of teenagers suffer from depression.

Although this condition is common among young children, it is very common among teenagers. According to researchers, one in ten children is likely to develop a mental illness related to depression by the age of 16.

How childhood depression affects your entire life

Depression can have serious and long-term consequences for a child's life. It can interfere with a child's social life, emotional development, and schoolwork. It can also lead to substance abuse.

Making matters worse, those who suffered from depression in childhood are also affected by it as adults. One study found that adults who suffered from depression in adolescence were more likely to have a more negative outlook on life than those who did not. Accordingly:

• Their average income is low.
• The number of university graduates is low.
• The chances of becoming unemployed are high.
• There are more people reporting problems at work, in society, and in family life.

Also, someone who had depression as a teenager is twice as likely to develop depression again in adulthood as someone who has never had a mental illness.

But the most disturbing finding of this study was the high rates of suicide and death. While no deaths by suicide were reported among those who did not have depression during adolescence, 7% of the children with depression had committed suicide, and another 34% had attempted suicide.

This is not something to be taken lightly. It is well known that children suffering from depression are at a higher risk of suicide.

How do you recognize depression in a child?

Parents can identify these symptoms by paying attention to their child. If one or more of these symptoms are present in the child for a long time, you should definitely see a doctor (doctor) for advice.

The severity of these symptoms makes treatment important. Treatment may include psychotherapy and/or antidepressants.

"In my experience, almost all children with depression benefit from individual therapy," says Fassler. "By the time children get help, the secondary effects of depression, such as low self-esteem and poor relationships with family and friends, have already begun to emerge. Children need help working through those things. Medication doesn't solve those problems."

Is the fear about medication real? (Antidepressant Controversy)

Although there has been some controversy about antidepressants for children, in 2004 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a strong warning to these drug labels. This is called a "black box warning." It stated that these medications should be used with caution because they have been shown to increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents.

The FDA's goal was to alert doctors to watch for suicidal tendencies during the first few months of treatment, but the warning did more than that.

Although the prescribing of these drugs to children had been steadily increasing before this warning, by 2005, the prescribing of these drugs to children under 18 had dropped by 20%.

Now some mental health professionals fear that this could have a dire consequence: that it could lead to an increase in suicides as frightened parents and doctors avoid giving their children the necessary medication.

The FDA's warning was based on a review of 24 studies that showed that during the first four months of treatment, children who took the drug were twice as likely to think about or attempt suicide than children who did not take the drug (placebo). However, there were no deaths from suicide in those studies.

On the other hand, other research has shown that only 2% of children and adolescents who committed suicide were taking an antidepressant at the time of their death.

So, Mr. Prince thinks this warning may have some good in it. It has raised awareness about the risk of suicide in children with depression. It is also good to be able to talk openly with families about this.

Childhood depression, Mental health, Depression in children, Children's stress, Adolescent depression, Symptoms of depression, Antidepressants