How to know if my child is depressed

Some signs that may indicate depression during childhood include lack of desire to play, bed wetting, frequent complaints of tiredness, headache or stomach pain and learning difficulties.

These symptoms may go unnoticed or be confused with tantrums or shyness, however if these symptoms remain for more than 2 weeks it is advisable to go to the pediatrician to make an assessment of the psychological health status and check the need to start treatment.

In most cases, treatment includes psychotherapy sessions and use of antidepressant drugs, but the support of parents and teachers is essential to help the child out of depression, as this disorder can hinder the child's development.

Signs that may indicate depression

The symptoms of childhood depression vary with the child's age and its diagnosis is never easy, requiring a detailed evaluation by a pediatrician. However, some signs that can alert parents include:

Sad face, with dull eyes and not smiling and a fallen and fragile body, as if he were always tired and looking at the void; Lack of desire to play either alone or with other children; Lots of drowsiness, constant tiredness and no energy for anything; Tantrums and irritability for no apparent reason, looking like a peevish child, in a bad mood and bad posture; Easy and exaggerated crying, due to exaggerated sensitivity; Lack of appetite that can lead to weight loss, but in some cases there may also be an enormous desire for sweets; Difficulty sleeping and many nightmares; Fear and difficulty in separating from the mother or father; Feeling of inferiority especially in relation to the friends of the nursery or school; Poor performance at school, with red marks and lack of attention; Urinary and fecal incontinence, after having acquired the ability to not wear a diaper.

Although these signs of depression are common in children, they can be more specific to the child's age.

6 months to 2 years

The main symptoms of depression in early childhood, which occurs until 2 years of age, are refusal to eat, low weight, small stature and delayed language and sleep disorders.

2 to 6 years

In preschool age, which happens between 2 and 6 years, children in most cases have constant tantrums, a lot of tiredness, little desire to play, lack of energy, peeing in bed and eliminating feces involuntarily.

In addition, they may also find it very difficult to separate from their mother or father, avoiding talking or living with other children and remaining very isolated. There may also be severe crying spells and nightmares and a lot of difficulty falling asleep.

6 to 12 years

At school age, which occurs between 6 and 12 years of age, depression manifests itself through the same symptoms previously mentioned, in addition to having difficulty learning, low concentration, red notes, isolation, exaggerated sensitivity and irritability, apathy, lack of patience, headache and stomach and changes in weight.

In addition, there is often a feeling of inferiority, which is worse than other children and constantly says a phrase like "nobody likes me" or "I don't know how to do anything".

In adolescence, the signs may be different, so if your child is over 12 years old, read about the symptoms of teenage depression.

How to diagnose childhood depression

The diagnosis is usually made through tests carried out by the doctor and analysis of drawings, as the child in most cases cannot report that he is sad and depressed and, therefore, parents must be very attentive to all symptoms and tell the doctor to facilitate diagnosis.

However, the diagnosis of this disease is not easy, especially since it can be confused with personality changes such as shyness, irritability, bad mood or aggression and, in some cases, parents may even consider behaviors normal for their age.

Thus, if a significant change in the child's behavior is identified, such as crying constantly, becoming very irritable or losing weight for no apparent reason, one should go to the pediatrician to assess the possibility of experiencing a psychological change.

How the treatment is done

In order to cure childhood depression, it is necessary to be accompanied by a pediatrician, psychologist, psychiatrist, family members and teachers and the treatment must last at least 6 months to prevent relapse.

Usually, until the age of 9, treatment is done only with psychotherapy sessions with a child psychologist. However, after that age or when the disease cannot be cured with psychotherapy alone, it is necessary to take antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, sertraline or paroxetine, for example. In addition, the doctor may recommend other remedies such as mood stabilizers, antipsychotics or stimulants.

Usually, the use of antidepressants only begins to take effect after 20 days of taking it and even if the child no longer has symptoms, he should keep using the drugs to avoid chronic depression.

To help with recovery, parents and teachers must collaborate in the treatment, encouraging the child to play with other children, do sports, participate in outdoor activities and constantly praise the child.

How to deal with the depressed child

Living with a child with depression is not easy, but parents, family and teachers must help the child overcome the disease so that he feels supported and that he is not alone. Thus, one must:

Respect the child's feelings, showing that they understand them; Encourage the child to develop activities that he likes without causing pressure; To praise the child constantly for all small acts and not to correct the child in front of other children; Give a lot of attention to the child, stating that they are there to help him; Take the child to play with other children to increase interaction; Do not let the child play alone, or stay in the room alone watching television or playing video games; Encourage eating every 3 hours to stay nourished; Keep the room comfortable to help your child fall asleep and sleep well.

These strategies will help the child to gain confidence, avoiding isolation and improving their self-esteem, helping the child to cure depression.

What can cause childhood depression

In most cases, childhood depression occurs due to traumatic situations such as constant arguments between family members, divorce from parents, change of school, lack of contact between the child and parents or their death.

In addition, abuse, such as rape or daily living with alcoholic parents or drug addicts, can also contribute to developing depression.