Is my child sad or clinically depressed?
It is surprisingly hard to tell sometimes. That is because children have trouble reporting their own feelings accurately, they don’t know what ‘depression’ is (they just know that they feel awful), and the signs of depression in children are a bit different from adults.
Some of the key signs of serious depression in 5 to 15 year olds include:
- tiredness and withdrawing to bed
- extra aches and pain; and complaints about stomach illness.
- tearfulness
- more clingy behaviours
- change in appetite and food preference
- irritability and even aggressive snappiness
- expressions of despair about life
- self-harm gestures
- poor concentration; worsening school performance
- withdrawing from friends and family
* These changes continue for more than two weeks and impact on the child’s functioning to a significant degree (in terms of school or relating to others).
There are several treatments that have known effectiveness in children. Medication can help. It is important to implement psychological therapy before trying medication. If medication is started, the non-pharmacological treatment should also continue. Psychological therapies include family-based therapies, social skills training and individual therapy like cognitive behaviour therapy tailored to the age and needs of the child.
When selecting a therapist, it is important that they specialise in children and that they are fully qualified clinical psychologists – that is, they have a masters or PhD in clinical psychology (many psychologists have a basic degree with no formal clinical training).
A downloadable information sheet on depression in kids can be found here: Understanding Childhood Depression
