More than 20 percent of youth suffer from depression. Sad kids don’t always have depression, but if your child’s mood prevents them from enjoying activities or has additional symptoms like irritation or fatigue for weeks, it’s crucial to get treatment. Discuss with your child’s doctor or mental health practitioner. Therapy or medication for childhood depression usually works.
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Yes. Adults don’t recognize kids might be depressed. Depression wasn’t considered a pediatric disorder until the mid-1980s. We now know that newborns and 2-year-olds can have depression. It’s a terrible, treatable sickness.
Depression affects males and girls equally before puberty, while girls have double the risk thereafter. Adolescent depression is more prevalent than in younger children. In 2019, 20 percent of 12-to-17-year-olds experienced a significant depressive episode, 36.7 percent were sad, and 18.8 percent pondered suicide.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, depression rates have increased considerably. Social isolation, school closures, missed milestones, and family stress contribute. Depression was second only to anxiety at 28 percent in a 2020 worldwide mental health study of children aged four through 19. Researchers examined 35 surveys involving almost 65,000 youngsters.
Another study found that 25 percent of kids worldwide are depressed. Later pandemic investigations, older children and females had worse symptoms. In 2020, U.S. youth suicide attempts increased 31 percent. Those numbers keep rising: Girls aged 12-17 had 51 percent more suicide attempt Emergency Department (ED) visits in February and March 2021 than in 2019. Suicide attempt ED visits increased 3.7 percent for boys.
No. It’s hard to discern whether your child’s conduct is normal or abnormal. Everybody—even kids—gets depressed or sad sometimes. Depression isn’t sorrow. Clinical depression goes beyond a child’s occasional melancholy. The illness causes despondency and a lack of energy and excitement for weeks, months, or even years.
Depressed children are gloomy or irritated for weeks and no longer enjoy activities. Even minor depression affects a child’s ability to perform at home, school, and with friends. Identifying and seeking assistance is crucial. Early identification and therapy may help your kid feel better and reduce their risk of depression.
Talk to your child’s doctor about depression screening and if their conduct is concerning. They may send you to a child psychologist, psychiatrist, or another kid-focused mental health specialist.
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Children’s depression symptoms vary from adults. Children have more physical symptoms and less emotional expression. Depression might change your child’s behavior. These include:
***Note: Call the doctor if you think your kid could damage themselves or others.
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Biology and the environment create depression. Depression is linked to brain chemistry, particularly chemical neurotransmitters that send signals between nerve cells. Decreased neurotransmitters may cause depression and other mental illnesses by disrupting brain function. Depression risk rises if a parent experiences depression as a youngster. Depression might also be caused by other factors. Environmental depression risk factors include:
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Helping your depressed child is crucial. Depressed kids may skip school, lose friends, and miss activities. Depression increases the chance of drug use, teen suicide, and misbehavior. Depression is curable. Therapy usually works for mild depression. Medication and psychotherapy are frequently suggested for severe depression that doesn’t improve with treatment.
Group treatment, family therapy (including the kid, parents, and siblings), and parent counseling may also be recommended. Group treatment involves less than 10 youngsters with comparable issues.
Medication may hide a child’s depression and prevent successful therapy. A youngster who’s depressed due to family conflict or teacher disagreement might benefit from a shift in the setting.
However, safe antidepressants for children outweigh the hazards. Discuss antidepressant dangers and advantages with your child’s doctor and closely monitor them if they’re on them. You, your kid, and their doctors should decide on medicine together.
Your child’s doctor will usually prescribe one medicine, work with you to see whether it’s working, and monitor side effects. Your child’s doctor may change medications or doses based on their reaction. Medication might take weeks or months to work.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft) are the most used antidepressants for children (Zoloft). If your kid doesn’t react to an SSRI, their doctor may prescribe bupropion (Wellbutrin), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), or duloxetine (Cymbalta).
Depression may be persistent; therefore, children need support learning coping skills. Even when youngsters need medicine, experts recommend counseling. Antidepressants won’t fix the issue; therefore, kids on them need continuous supervision.
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Consult your child’s doctor, other doctors, family, school counselors, and friends. They may recommend someone they trust. Online tools like:
Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and most other insurance plans include mental and behavioral health care, although benefits vary. Ask your insurer about your coverage and out-of-pocket payments. Once you have a few names, ask them background questions like these:
If your kid has another mental health issue connected to depression, such as attention deficit disorder or an eating disorder, see a specialist.
Finally, you and your kid should like the caregiver. Find a child-friendly talker. Before bringing your kid to a session, you might call or visit with possible therapists. If a therapist doesn’t seem right, try another. Depressed children are hard on parents too. Self-care and asking for assistance are important.
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Depressed kids need help. Be kind and patient. Listen without judgment when your youngster wants to speak. Encourage them to express their emotions, including death and suicide anxieties. Trust them and embrace competent aid. Help your youngster relax:
Help them stay healthy by:
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Take your kid to the emergency room if they’re suicidal or self-harming.
Many kids from all backgrounds commit suicide. Suicide is the second highest cause of mortality for 10- to 24-year-olds (after accidents) and the sixth for five to 14-year-olds. Suicidal kids and teens frequently have serious mental illnesses, mainly depression.
Teens who attempt suicide face stress, self-doubt, despair, and loss, whereas younger children, who act impulsively, face grief, bewilderment, and fury.
Suicide risks:
In addition to the steps you can take to help your child with depression (above) if your child talks about suicide, the following can help:
Don’t believe they’re “just being theatrical” or overreacting when they remark, “Nothing matters” or “I want to die.” A youngster needs treatment if they say these things.
For more information about depression, treatment, and support services, visit the websites of these organizations:
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Psychiatric Association
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