Childhood Depression

Childhood depression doesn’t seem like it should exist, because the time of being a child should be filled with thoughts of family, school and friends and not worry and anxiety. Yet it’s an increasing problem in our society for many reasons. First, children are subject to the same problems as adults simply because they’re human. They suffer stress, have family problems and may be born with a predisposition towards depression due to genetics. Second, depression is now diagnosed correctly more often than it was in the past.

Childhood depression makes itself known in a number of ways. The child may experience frequent high and low emotional states. Children who are depressed often don’t want to leave the house and play with friends. Another symptom is a change in school performance. If he or she once did well in school and then loses interest, it can be a sign the child is depressed. Another frequent symptom is a lack of interest in normal activities. Early intervention is important in order to prevent progression of the disorder.

Childhood depression can be treated. Parents who think their child may be depressed can take certain steps to re-engage the child in a number of ways. The first thing you should do is try to get your child interested in something. It can be a social or athletic activity or even certain toys. Another important step to take is getting your child to talk to you regularly, but be careful of responding with only criticism. Just like in adult depression, childhood depression means the child is having problems with self esteem. Your goal is to build up feelings of self-worth so coping mechanisms are stronger.

One of the important steps you can take for treating childhood depression is working with your child to develop appropriate responses to situations. Life is always going to have those moments when you have to overcome perceived failure or difficult situations. If you child doesn’t know how to respond and only gets frustrated, then childhood depression can take hold.

When you decide your child is experiencing depression, you need to try and uncover any particular causes. For example, if he or she is having trouble at school then perhaps there’s a problem between your child and another child. Or if your child suddenly withdraws for no apparent reason, then you might need to have your child work with a therapist to investigate possible emotional or sexual abuse (there will be other signs too obviously). Another common cause of childhood depression is an unsuspected learning disability.

Many children are not good at communicating what they’re thinking or feeling. That means you have to make an extra effort to “interpret” the situation. There are many treatment options if the self-help treatments don’t work. These treatments are similar to the ones used to treat adult depression.

Treatments for Depression

There are many treatments for depression and usually more than one is used at a time. The most common treatments today include the following.

• Cognitive therapy
• Group therapy
• Medication
• Behavioral therapy
• Interpersonal therapy

Most of the treatments for depression include keeping a journal as a first step and even an activity log when the depression is severe enough to prevent you from completing critical activities. A log can be an important tool for both you and/or your therapist in order to identify the triggers of depression. It can also be a good way to get your life back on track.

One of the benefits of using journals and logs in the treatments for depression is that it forces you to undertake an activity to improve your life. This can be very important when depression has interfered with your ability to think or function normally. For example, if you keep a log of what you’re feeling and of your thoughts, it becomes easier to identify the negative thinking that spirals out of control. A journal can reveal things such as feelings of failure or anxiety. With the identification of the thoughts, a therapist can then help you seek the cause of the lack of self esteem.

An activity log is a useful log during any of the treatments for depression for keeping track of what must be done in your life to keep it on track. People with depression often decide they don’t care anymore about any one or any thing. Unfortunately, this can have dire consequences if you don’t pay bills or deposit money in your bank account. Some people with depression don’t just neglect themselves either. They neglect important tasks such as picking up the kids at school. The can even decide eating is too much trouble. That’s why some people with depression can have sudden and severe weight loss.

When people get depressed, the mind focuses on dark and deep thoughts that are usually self-critical. If you tell yourself you’re unable to do anything right, the next logical thought is: why try? That is how depression works. It gets deeper and deeper if left untreated. Except for medication, the treatments for depression assist people with changing their thought patterns so they see themselves as capable and positive.

It’s hard for someone who’s never had depression to understand how deep the mental hole can get. When you keep a journal and activity log, you can learn to set simple goals that are easy to meet. The slow decline into the black hole is reversed so you can begin the upward climb to the light. It’s done one step at a time. There’s no instant cure for depression. Even medication takes time to work.