For a long time, depression was considered an “adult” problem. 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 that have revealed 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 is starting to get depressed? He tries to cope on his own, and in case of failure he turns to specialists. He understands the need to fight depression and is aware of the severity of the problem.
A child cannot control his condition. He does not understand what is happening to him. Most children are in no hurry 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 your child’s psychological state, read our article. Below are 10 signs of depression in children.
10. Constant fatigue
If your child often complains of fatigue, do not miss his words past his ears. To begin with, you can visit a doctor and take tests. If there are no visible health problems, he may be depressed.
Watch the baby sleep. If he began to sleep more, but does not feel rested, the reason is the poor quality of sleep. Something disturbs your child, he cannot sleep normally, the body does not restore strength.
In no case do not ignore the child's complaints. Many parents begin to shame their son or daughter, reproach: “Here we used to help parents, went to circles, there was no time to engage in nonsense.” Such phrases will push the child away from you, he will close and will not talk about his health.
9. Deteriorating performance
Of course, you should not worry and think that the child is depressed because of each low score. Student 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 studied well before.
It is more difficult for a child in a depressed state to do homework every day. It seems to him that 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 blame him for anything.
8. There are no friends nearby
Children do not know how to pretend. They will not fake a 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 begin to shun him. They want to play, play naughty, have fun, and not find out what happened to their friend.
If your child talked a lot, he had many friends, but they disappeared somewhere, then something serious happened. Try to bring him into a frank conversation, if it does not work, contact a psychologist.
7. Lack of plans
Every person in his life is faced with troubles, children are no exception. The child may have a bad mood, perhaps he had a falling out with a friend, received a bad mark. In this case, the conversation about the future always works without fail. Children love adventure, travel, entertainment.
If you start making plans, discussing where to go on vacation or next weekend, his bad mood will quickly disappear. He will actively engage in conversation.
If the child is depressed, 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 a child refuses to make plans, pay attention to his psychological state.
6. Does not want to talk
It’s not easy to recognize childhood depression. The child can behave as usual, but in such cases he makes worse contact, becomes nervous, irritable.
Take a closer look at his mood, sharp changes indicate that not everything is in order with the child. If he leaves the conversation or breaks down on you, check if he has other symptoms of depression.
5. Feels miserable
Listen carefully to what your child is saying. A depressive state can be easily recognized if a son or daughter is constantly talking about their worthlessness, feeling miserable.
Many parents do not attach importance to the phrases: "Nobody 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 will help to 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 their problems. Of course, situations are different. But if the child did not cry before, and now 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 anywhere. You need to hiccup the causes of the depressed state and eliminate them.
3. Change in appetite
Not every child has a good appetite, some children are very difficult to feed. You should be wary if a child begins to refuse food. He is not pleased even with his favorite delicacies, while he looks depressed.
Lack of appetite does not always give depression. Some people on the contrary "seize" the problem. If the child has started to eat a lot, he has a strong craving for sweets, start to worry.
Again, for starters, health problems should be ruled out. You should not immediately write a child to a psychologist, if his eating habits have changed, there should be other signs of depression.
2. Complaints of pain
The health of the child should be monitored by parents. If the child complains of pain, you can not hesitate. Be sure to consult a doctor. If you have already been at the appointment, and the doctors did not reveal any abnormalities, perhaps depression is manifested in this way. We are talking about those cases when it is hiding under the guise of 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; accordingly, 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 the disease is depression.
1. Indifference to everything
Perhaps the surest sign of depressive states is indifference to everything. If you yourself have ever experienced depression, you know what this is about. The man is not interested in anything, he has no desires, he lives "on the machine." It is not necessary to think that “it will pass” if the child has lost interest in learning, friends, and entertainment.
He does not agree to a joint family outing, he is not happy with the proposal to go to the cinema. Do not drag a visit to a specialist. It will help the child to understand himself, to overcome the depressive state. Your child will again begin to enjoy life.