Handling Childhood Depression

Every parent wants to believe his or her children are happy and healthy. It is hard to imagine your child being ill. Worse than a physical illness, is a mental illness or depression that is not visible and hard to diagnose. As children get older, especially during the teen years, they can be moody. It is important for parents to know the signs of depression and the available options to help their child. It can be hard to bring up depression with your children, but they know they do not feel normal and that can compound an already challenging situation.

Depression is not an easy topic to think about when it comes to our children. Deciding if your child is going through a difficult time or truly depressed is a hard call to make. AOL Health lists the signs of moods in depressed children as being grumpy, sad, or bored. If your child seems to have lost or gained a great deal of weight, is not interested in their friends or favorite activities, these are all warning signs.

To know if your child is either having a period where they are just feeling down (we all have this occasionally, and it is completely normal) or is depressed, careful attention must be paid to their environment and the length of time involved. If the child has just gone through a life change such as moving schools, parents getting divorced, the death of a loved one, or being mistreated at school, a period of sadness is understandable. If the downswings begin lasting months and your child cannot overcome their feelings, professional help should be sought.

Children as young as three can experience depression symptoms. It usually is not as serious as when older children experience them. It can be hard to talk to your child about being depressed if you feel uncomfortable about it. Make sure you always have open conversations with your children about their feelings. Starting when your child is small, use opportunities of sadness or happiness to discuss why we feel a certain way, and that all those feelings are okay. If your child will not talk to you about it, enlist the help of a friend or family member who has the child’s trust.

You cannot prevent your child from getting depressed, but you can help them manage those feelings. Making sure your child has proper nutrition, sleep and exercise is essential. Drug and alcohol use can make depression worse, so if you have a teenager, know where they are and what they are doing. Make sure if your child is easily burnt out with school or an activity, they are getting the break they need to recharge.

Most importantly, if your child seems to have lost interest in living or talks a great deal about death or suicide, you get help immediately. If you see these signs in your children’s friends, let their parents know. In a culture where everyone is so self-reliant and hesitant to get involved in other people’s business, a child is a child and needs to be protected regardless of the circumstance. To learn more about depression, you can check out AOL HEALTH.