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You are here : home > Teen Issues > Depression > Signs of Depression in Children

Signs of Depression in Children

Ifsignsofdepressioninchildrenarediagnosedatrighttime,theharsheffectsofdepressioncanbeprevented.Earlyinterventionandmanagementcanhelpchildtocopewithdepressioneasily.Readontofindmoreaboutthecommonsignsofdepressioninchildren.Childhooddepressionisgrowingatabreathtakingpacewithoneoutofeverythirtychildrensufferingfromit.Childhooddepressionisaverysensitiveissuewhichneedstobetreatedimmediately.Childrenaredelicateandinnocent;theyexhibitdepressionintheformofvariousbehaviouralpatternsandthoughtpatterns.Childhooddepressionissimilartodepressioninadults,buttheirwayofexpressingitisdifferent.Therearecertainspecificbehaviourswhichvaryinchildrenandadults.Achildwillneversaythatheorsheis“depressed”,butmayexpressitintheformofasadmood,angerorunhappyemotions.Ifyourchildissaditmaynotmeanthatheorsheisdepressed,butifyourchildissadpersistently,hemaybesufferingfromdepression.Parentshavetobeverycarefulandalertinwatchingtheirchild’schangingbehaviour.Therearemanywarningsignsfordiagnosingchildhooddepression.Itistheresponsibilityofparentstolookforsignsofdangerandhelpthechilddealwithit.InthisarticleWhatAretheSymptomsofDepressionInChildren?AnxietyTurmoilandSadnessTroubleinOrganisingThoughtsLossofAppetiteandSuddenWeightLossorGainSleepingProblemsLackofInterestGuiltandWorthlessnessNegativeThoughtsandSuicidalTendenciesDemandingandInsecurityWhatAretheSymptomsofDepressionInChildren?Childrenoftenshowdifferentsignsofdepressionthanadults.Generally,adultsmayfacesleepingproblems,apprehension,irrationalfearetc;childrenontheotherhandwouldjusthaveanirritablemood.Despiteofbeingdepressedchildrenwilltendtoenjoysomeactivities.Hereareafewsymptomsofdepressioninchildren.Notallchildrenexperienceallthesymptoms.Anxiety:Childrenwillexpresstheirmentaldisturbanceintheformoftheirbehaviour.Anxietyisoneverycommonsignofdepression.Thechildmayappearscared,anxiousandapprehensive.Ifyoucomeacrosssuchsigns,trytofindoutthereasoncausingdepression.TurmoilandSadness:Thechildmayappearveryirritatedandsadalmosteveryday.Theymayfeelguiltyorhopelessandcouldevencryeasily.Theirmiserycouldcausethemtolashoutinanger.TroubleinOrganisingThoughts:Depressedchildrenmayfaceconcentrationandmemoryproblems.Itbecomesdifficultforthemtostayattentiveinclassorathomethus,causinganinabilityincopingupwithschoolwork.LossofAppetiteandSuddenWeightLossorGain:Changeinappetiteandexcessiveweightlosswithoutdietingisanothersignofdepressioninchildren.Thechildmayeitherfeelveryhungryornotfeelhungryatall.Theirdietmayincreaseordecrease.SleepingProblems:Thechildmaylackenoughsleepormaysleepexcessively.Theymayfacetroubleinfallingasleeporsleepingcomfortablyonceasleep.Theymayendupsleepingduringschoolhours.LackofInterest:Depressioncanleadtoasignificantdeclineintheinterestsofthechild.Thechildmayfeelextremelydisinterestedindoingdailyactivitieslikeplayingtheirfavouritegame,interactingwithfriends,participatingingames,goingoutetc.Theymayoftencomplainofbeingbored.GuiltandWorthlessness:Childrenwithdepressedfeelingsmayfindthemthemselvesguiltyanduselesseveryday.Theyconstantlyremindthemselvesoftheirfailuresandmistakesandfeelguilty.NegativeThoughtsandSuicidalTendencies:Depressioncancausethechildtosufferfromvariousnegativethoughts.Theymayfeelisolatedandpessimisticallthetime.Theymayperceivealltheeventshappeningintheirlifedepressingandunworthy.Theymayalsoexpresstheirfeelingsofdyingandsuicide.DemandingandInsecurity:Thechildmayfeelveryinsecureaboutcertainrelationships.Theybecomeextremelydependentonsomerelationsandmaybehaveinahighlyinsecuremanner.Thesearesomeofthesymptomsofdepressioninchildren.Ifyoufindthesesignsinyourchild,visitanexpertimmediately.Goodandpropertreatmentwillhelpyourchildcopeupwithdepressionquickly.

Childhood depression is growing at a breathtaking pace with one out of every thirty children suffering from it. Childhood depression is a very sensitive issue which needs to be treated immediately. Children are delicate and innocent; they exhibit depression in the form of various behavioural patterns and thought patterns.

Childhood depression is similar to depression in adults, but their way of expressing it is different. There are certain specific behaviours which vary in children and adults. A child will never say that he or she is “depressed”, but may express it in the form of a sad mood, anger or unhappy emotions. If your child is sad it may not mean that he or she is depressed, but if your child is sad persistently, he may be suffering from depression.

Parents have to be very careful and alert in watching their child’s changing behaviour. There are many warning signs for diagnosing childhood depression. It is the responsibility of parents to look for signs of danger and help the child deal with it.

What Are the Symptoms of Depression In Children?

Children often show different signs of depression than adults. Generally, adults may face sleeping problems, apprehension, irrational fear etc; children on the other hand would just have an irritable mood. Despite of being depressed children will tend to enjoy some activities.

Here are a few symptoms of depression in children. Not all children experience all the symptoms.

Anxiety:

Children will express their mental disturbance in the form of their behaviour. Anxiety is one very common sign of depression. The child may appear scared, anxious and apprehensive. If you come across such signs, try to find out the reason causing depression.

Turmoil and Sadness:

The child may appear very irritated and sad almost every day. They may feel guilty or hopeless and could even cry easily. Their misery could cause them to lash out in anger.

Trouble in Organising Thoughts:

Depressed children may face concentration and memory problems. It becomes difficult for them to stay attentive in class or at home thus, causing an inability in coping up with school work.

Loss of Appetite and Sudden Weight Loss or Gain:

Change in appetite and excessive weight loss without dieting is another sign of depression in children. The child may either feel very hungry or not feel hungry at all. Their diet may increase or decrease.

Sleeping Problems:

The child may lack enough sleep or may sleep excessively. They may face trouble in falling asleep or sleeping comfortably once asleep. They may end up sleeping during school hours.

Lack of Interest:

Depression can lead to a significant decline in the interests of the child. The child may feel extremely disinterested in doing daily activities like playing their favourite game, interacting with friends, participating in games, going out etc. They may often complain of being bored.

Guilt and Worthlessness:

Children with depressed feelings may find them themselves guilty and useless every day. They constantly remind themselves of their failures and mistakes and feel guilty.

Negative Thoughts and Suicidal Tendencies:

Depression can cause the child to suffer from various negative thoughts. They may feel isolated and pessimistic all the time. They may perceive all the events happening in their life depressing and unworthy. They may also express their feelings of dying and suicide.

Demanding and Insecurity:

The child may feel very insecure about certain relationships. They become extremely dependent on some relations and may behave in a highly insecure manner.

These are some of the symptoms of depression in children. If you find these signs in your child, visit an expert immediately. Good and proper treatment will help your child cope up with depression quickly.

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6 Comments

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Pardh.12 years ago

very good one. Depression is now a common illness from which everybody seems to be suffering. We need to tackle it with an open communication and on time treatment.

shatabdi.12 years ago

very good article on depression signs. it is important to know the signs so that we can help the teens. It is very useful not only for now but also for future

Sigma 121.12 years ago

You have one great article there. We all know that the number of troubled teenagers are increasing so your article is already very useful and will be useful in the future. There are a lot of useful informations that parents can get in you article. Let's help hand in hand in decreasing the number of troubled teens.

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Discussion Forum - Recent Posts
What is depression? How is childhood depression expressed? Which are the various warning signs of depression in children?
	Roja Depression in children can be expressed in form of sadness, anxiety, loss of interest or harbouring negative feelings. Feeling of worthlessness, suicidal thoughts and preferring isolation can be taken...
	Sugam Now-a-days many children are prone to depression. I think this is due to communication gap between parents and children. What can we do as parents for childhood depression? I really want to help the c...
	Prashi Hi Sugam, I agree with you. Symptoms of depression in children should never be ignored by the parents. Early intervention helps to prevent the condition from deteriorating. Parents must seek professi...
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