Depression among children and teenagers is a common and unfortunate problem. According to the Surgeon General, at any given time, between 10 - 15% of children and teenagers have some symptoms of depression. The following are the symptoms of depression; a person must have 5 out of 9 for a diagnosis: (1) Depressed or irritable mood. Adults describe depression as sadness. In children, it may be crankiness or anger, especially if these emotions don't seem related to specifice events or causes. (2) Anhedonia. This means diminished interest or loss of pleasure in most activities, especially those that the child used to enjoy. (3) significant weight loss or gain; significant increase or decrease in appetitie. The child may develop cravings for junk food and may even hoard items like cookies, candy, etc. (4) Sleeping problems, which may be either insomnia or excessive sleeping. The child may complain of bad dreams. Even when they get a lot of sleep they complain about being constantly tired. (5) Phyisical restlessness or slowed body movements. They may appear fidgety or move and speak slowly. (6) Fatigue or loss of energy. They may become "couch potatoes," lying around the house watching TV. (7) Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt. They may become very sensitive to criticism; minor failure is viewed at catastrophic. (8) Diminished ability to think, concentrate, or make decisions. This can adversely affect school performance. (9) Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide plans or attempts. The teenager may become fascinated or preoccupied with the subject of death. Suicide threats should always be taken seriously. Never assume that this is just a play for attention. The suicide rate among 15 - 19 year olds is 9.5 per 100,000. Girls are twice as likely to attempt suicide as boys, but boys are 4 times as likely to succeed. Increased availability of guns and greater substance abuse has contributed to this problem. Other symptoms commonly seen in depressed teens include anxiety, brooding and worrying. They may have severe, unreasonable fears (phobias) or feelings of dread with physical symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, and trembling.
When faced with a depressed child, parents often question if it is somehow their fault. The causes of depression are numerous and complicated. Studies have found that children with authoritative, controlling parents are more likely to be depressed. Parents who are prone to be very critical are more at risk for depressed children. However, depression in children cannot be explained by just looking at parenting styles. If this were so, why would we see depression even in very young children? Also, sometimes one sibling is always happy and cheerful while another is depressed. Children seem to be born with temperments; from the time of infancy, some are very easy going and some are more difficult or irritable. Those with difficult temperments have negative impact on parents and may affect the parents' mood and thus the way the parents treat them.
Stress and trauma contribute to depression as well. Abused children are at very high risk. Divorce and marital discord is also related to depression in children. Cumulative effects of minor events, such as being bullied, poor school performance, friendship issues, can cause depression. There is also a hereditary component. Depression runs in families, and depressed kids often have at least one depressed parent. Chemical malfunctions in the brain may account for depression. The big unanswered question is to what extent is depression caused by genetic factors as opposed to environmental factors? If your child is depressed, you may not be able to figure out why, but the important thing is to seek treatment. The good news is that depression is highly treatable. It is not likely to go away, and if ignored or thought to be "just a phase," it may likely get worse.
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