While it may seem normal for a teenager to go through a phase of acting moody, it is vital to understand the difference between changes that occur due to hormonal changes and what can occur when a child or teen is clinical depressed. A depressive kid does not need to suffer from this sometimes debilitating disease. Knowledge is power and the first step is to understand depression. Many children will experience different levels of depression that occurs normally due to hormonal changes, pressures at school, pressures at home and such. However, sometimes, a child can develop actual depression that must be treated.
A child may be a depressive kid if they show signs of several of the following behaviors: If a child or teen begins to show signs of being persistently depressed, unable to get out of bed, loses interest in hobbies and/or friends, has no energy, does not wish to eat, over eats, withdraws from friends and/or family, cries often, has outbursts of anger, talks about suicide, has trouble concentrating, feels guilty, feels worthless and/or has headaches or stomach aches that can not be explained. Keep in mind that the symptoms of depression will be different for each child. Sometimes, these symptoms are not noticed because parents, teachers and/or doctors will dismiss them as being normal signs of teenage-hood. However, it is vital to pay attention to see if the symptoms and signs last longer than a couple of weeks, worsen with time and really affect the child.
It is vitally important to note that there is a percentage of children who will attempt suicide. Catching the signs of depression is so crucial so that preventive measures can be taken to treat the child before they are able to do any harm to themselves. It is very rare; however there are even instances of child under the age of twelve who have attempted suicide. That percentage will, of course, increase as the age of the depressive kid increases. In addition, a depressive kid who has a family life that includes violence in the household, alcohol abuse, neglect or abuse to the child are at a much higher risk of attempting suicide.
Two and one half percent of all children suffer from the disease of depression. It is slightly more common in male children, if under the age of ten years old. As the child’s age increases, depression becomes more common in females. Along with depression, bi-polar can also appear in children. A depressive kid may actually be suffering from bi-polar. The difference is that the depression will alternate with phases in which the child feels overly happy and overly confident. There is no rhyme or reason to the cycle of the depressive phases and the “manic” phases or the severity of each.
No one really knows what causes depression; however it does seem to run in families. A depressive kid should never be made to feel badly regarding the depression. Just as if the child had a broken bone or suffered from diabetes; they have no control over the fact that they have depression and they can be treated for it. Medication such as Prozac has been approved for treatment of depression in children. Although with many medications, children may have a reaction of increased depression, the medicine more often than not will help the child get their normal life back.