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For a long time, depression was considered an “adult” problem. This was explained by one simple reason – the psyche of children is “immature”, depressive disorders cannot develop. Who and when made such conclusions is no longer important. Everyone believed in this axiom: both parents and even doctors.
The situation has changed in the last twenty years. A number of studies have been conducted, during which it was found that children are also prone to depression. Moreover, this condition brings them much more torment than adults.
What does a person do when he realizes that he has depression? He tries to cope on his own, and in case of failure, he turns to specialists. He understands that it is necessary to fight depression and realizes the gravity of the problem.
The child cannot control his condition. He does not understand what is happening to him. Most children are reluctant to share their experiences with their parents. Therefore, they need to be more attentive to their child in order to notice in time that the child is behaving unusually.
If you are worried about the psychological state of your child, read our article. Below are 10 signs of depression in children.
10 Constant fatigue
If your child often complains of being tired, don’t ignore his words. For starters, you can visit a doctor and take tests. If there are no visible health problems, he may have depression.
Watch your child sleep. If he sleeps more, but does not feel rested, the reason is the poor quality of sleep. Your child is worried about something, he cannot sleep normally, the body does not restore strength.
Never ignore your child’s complaints. Many parents begin to shame their son or daughter, reproach: “We used to help our parents, we went to circles, there was no time to do nonsense.” Such phrases will push the child away from you, he will close and will not talk about his well-being.
9. Deterioration in academic performance
Of course, it is not worth worrying about every low grade and thinking that the child has depression. Academic performance may decline for a number of other reasons. If you see that the child is trying, but he is not succeeding, focus on this problem. Especially if he was a good student before.
It is more difficult for a child in a depressed state to do homework every day. He feels like his brain has stopped working. Most likely, he will never dare to share this secret with you.
If you notice that your grades are getting worse, talk to him. Do it as delicately as possible, do not make claims to him and do not accuse him of anything.
8. No friends around
Children don’t know how to pretend. They will not fake smile and pretend that everything is fine, at least in communication with each other. When a child is sad all the time, other children will start to avoid him. They want to play, play pranks, have fun, and not find out what happened to their friend.
If your child talked a lot, he had a lot of friends, but they disappeared somewhere, then something serious happened. Try to bring him to a frank conversation, if it doesn’t work, contact a psychologist.
7. Lack of plans
Every person in his life is faced with troubles, children are no exception. The child may be in a bad mood, perhaps he quarreled with a friend, received a bad grade. In this case, the conversation about the future always works flawlessly. Children love adventure, travel, entertainment.
If you start making plans, discussing where you will go on vacation or for the coming weekend, his bad mood will quickly disappear. He will actively join the conversation.
If a child has depression, he is not interested in anything. He does not want to think about the future, he is not happy with a trip to the sea or tickets to the circus. If the child refuses to make plans, pay attention to his psychological state.
6. Doesn’t want to talk
Childhood depression is not easy to recognize. The child may behave as usual, but in such cases he makes contact worse, becomes nervous, irritable.
Take a closer look at his mood, sudden changes indicate that not everything is in order with the child. If he withdraws from the conversation or lashes out at you, check for other symptoms of depression.
5. Feeling miserable
Listen carefully to what your child says. A depressed state can be easily recognized if a son or daughter constantly talks about their worthlessness, feels unhappy.
Many parents do not attach importance to the phrases: “No one loves me”, “I can’t do anything.” They perceive them as a way of manipulation, but in most cases these words are a direct sign of depression. A child psychologist can help you understand the situation.
4. Often cries
All children cry, so parents do not attach much importance to tears. They think that soon the child will calm down and forget about his problems. Of course, situations are different. That’s just, if the child did not cry before, but now he is upset because of every little thing, it is better to resort to the help of a specialist.
It has already been noted above that children cannot control their condition, they do not understand what is happening. They have only one way out – to cry, they hope that it will become easier.
Unfortunately, tears are unlikely to cure depression. The child will throw out his emotions, but the problem will not go away. It is necessary to hiccup the causes of depression and eliminate them.
3. Change in appetite
Not every child has a good appetite, some children are very difficult to feed. You should be alert if the child began to refuse food. Even the most favorite treats do not please him, while he looks depressed.
Not always depression betrays a lack of appetite. Some people, on the contrary, “seize” the problem. If the child began to eat a lot, he developed a strong craving for sweets, start to worry.
Again, health problems should be ruled out first. You should not immediately write a child to a psychologist if his eating habits have changed, there should be other signs of depression.
2. Pain complaints
Parents should take care of the health of the child. If the child complains of pain, it is impossible to delay. Be sure to see a doctor. If you have already been to an appointment, and the doctors did not reveal any abnormalities, depression may manifest itself in this way. We are talking about those cases when it is hidden under the guise of a somatic disease. Headache, skin rashes, shortness of breath, diarrhea may occur.
Sometimes depression is accompanied by toothache and even heart disease. It is very difficult to make a diagnosis in such a situation, and therefore it is almost impossible to overcome the symptoms.
If a child has serious health problems and treatment does not help, pay attention to his mood. Perhaps the cause of illness is depression.
1. Indifference to everything
Perhaps the surest sign of depression is indifference to everything. If you yourself have ever experienced depression, you know what I’m talking about. A person is not interested in anything, he has no desires, he lives “on the machine”. There is no need to think that “it will pass by itself” if the child has lost interest in studies, friends, and entertainment.
He does not agree to a joint family walk, he is not happy with the offer to go to the cinema. Do not delay a visit to a specialist. It will help the child understand himself, overcome the depressive state. Your child will begin to enjoy life again.