Depression in Children

It is a fact that depression afflicts millions of people every day and that includes children. Perhaps, some people do not acknowledge this fact since children are typically viewed as leading stress-free lives since all they have to do is study, eat, and play. This is a wrong perception since a child’s life can also be very stressful that can cause depression in many children around the world. Usually, adults believe that “temper tantrums” are normal for   children especially when they do not get what they want. Some children do also cry a lot especially when those who have sensitive personalities. There are those kids with disruptive behavior as a result of their playfulness and curiosity. These are  quite common behavior and happens to children from all race, gender, or creed.   The difference lies when certain behaviors such as persistent sadness or repetitive  occurrence of disruptive behavior is manifested most of the time. This result s to disputed school work as well as  socialization with playmates. Children who constantly hit playmates for no reason are suspect of   having depression. There is also a probability that such behavior can be an underlying symptom of ADHD. 

Children behave differently from adults since they do not have well-developed defense mechanisms yet.  They show behavior as it is, cry when sad or shout when angry as observed by teachers. It is important then that parents give attention to such behavior to determine if the child is already depressed. Some children are vocal about their thoughts especially fearful ones and ask questions from adults. Some children get depressed when a loved one dies such as a grandparent.

Children are also affected by sudden changes such as transferring to a new school or neighborhood. Parents must support their children in adjusting to life’s changes.  Divorce of parents is often a stressful situation in a child’s life that can lead to depression. On the other hand, some children hide their feelings and exhibit irrational angry behavior. Parents  should  quickly notice changes in their child’s behavior since kids usually have a routine. Depression in children can be detected by the following symptoms: They eat at a certain time change in appetite, withdrawal from play sessions, unexplained irritability, change in sleep patterns, poor concentration, inability to perform regular tasks such as playtime, sudden dislike from hobbies, fatigue etc. Whatever the cause of depression is, adults should seek immediate professional   treatment to minimize trauma in childhood.