How Can I Tell if My Child Is Depressed?
How Can I Tell if My Child Is Depressed?
The symptoms of depression in children vary. Some children have "masked" depression, where a child's depressed mood presents by acting out or angry behavior. While this does happen, particularly in younger children, many children display sadness or low mood similar to adults who are depressed.
The primary symptoms of depression revolve around sadness, a feeling of hopelessness, and their mood easily goes up and down.
Signs and symptoms of depression in children include:
- Crankiness or anger
- Continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness
- Social withdrawal
- Being more sensitive to rejection
- Changes in appetite, either increased or decreased
- Changes in sleep (sleeplessness or excessive sleep)
- Vocal outbursts, meltdowns or crying
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue and low energy
- Physical complaints (such as stomachaches and headaches) that don't respond to treatment
- Trouble during events and activities at home or with friends, in school, during extracurricular activities, and with other hobbies or interests
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired thinking or concentration
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Not all children have all of these symptoms. In fact, most will show different symptoms at different times and in different settings. Although some children may continue to do reasonably well in structured environments, most kids with significant depression will have a noticeable change in social activities, loss of interest in school, poor academic performance, or a change in appearance.
« BackTherapists
These are our therapists who are experienced in working with Depression.
