Recognizing Depression among Children
December 29, 2009
Children these days are also susceptible to mental ups and downs, and the social atmosphere in which children are brought up could be a cause of depression among them. Mental stressors are very much prevalent in their lives too just as in case of adults and grown ups.
Pressures in school, competition and stress of education, lack of opportunities for creative expression, pressures by parents on the child to outdo their performance, expectations by society, overemphasis placed on success, tagging and labeling in case of failure, all lead to mental stress and exhaustion among children.
Children may face depression if they get tied up in a situation beyond their means to cope. If the expectations placed on them are higher than their ability to cope with it, or if it places too much pressure on their mental and physical reserves, the child may go into depression.
One of the signs of depression could be introverted behaviour. A child may turn away from friends, family members and peers, neighborhood kids etc and withdraw more and more into their own shell. They may like to spend more time being on their own and be preoccupied in their own thoughts.
Poor level of communication will be observed them. For example, children may not be able to communicate what thoughts are bothering them, may not be able to confide in parents, may feel helpless and hesitant in talking to parents or anyone, as they may doubt that the person will thoroughly understand the child, or the person may be the source of stress.
Changes in sleeping and eating patterns may also be observed. A depressed child may lose interest in eating, may eat meager food, skip meals or tend to munch on junk foods. Poor appetite will be observed among them.
Sleep disturbance will also be seen. A child may tend to sleep excessively due to the mental exhaustion and low level of energy and stamina due to low appetite. In some cases, a child may suffer disturbed sleep or insomniac tendencies too.
Frequent mood swings and crying spells, burst of anger may also be noted in depressed children. Low level of activity, low energy, easy vulnerability to infections and common illness may be prevalent.
Comments
Got something to say? Join the conversation and leave a comment below.