More Info About Children and Depression

It is unusual for children to suffer from depression after the loss of a loved one or a traumatic emotional event. Children who have been abused or constantly criticized can also develop chronic depression at an early age.

Unfortunately depression in children is not often seen for what it really is. The feelings of fatigue that go with it can be perceived as laziness. The lack of motivation is often perceived as stupidity or stubbornness. Children also either overeat or undereat just like adults when they are depressed and they develop a dislike of socializing and exercise.

If not treated depression can lead to failing grades, violence, alcohol, drug use and obesity. Here are some ways to detect the symptoms of depression in your child.

A child with depression –

· Refuses to wear clothes that do not cover all of the body

· May insist on wearing the same thing every day

· Covers his or her eyes with hair

· Refuses to look anyone in the eye

· Is possessive of toys and food

· Is easily agitated and irritated

· Prefers to watch videogames or watch television all day

· Falls asleep at school

· Has difficulty falling asleep at night

· Wakes at five am in the morning and is sleep deprived all day

· Has difficulty making decisions

· Loses interest in favorite toys or activities

· Feels guilty even if she or she has done nothing wrong

· Complains of vague physical complaints like headaches and stomach aches

· Lack of enthusiasm in general

· Talks obsessively about death or suicide

The sad fact is that as many as one in every three children and one in eight adolescents living in the United States might have depression. Thesis according to a health study done in 1996 and the number of depressed children and adolescents has probably risen since the specter of terrorism was unleashed as the result of 9-11.

Children that are most likely to experience depression are those who have experienced the loss of a pet or loved one (such as a parent or a sibling and those who already are experiencing some kind of disability or learning disorder such as Asperger's syndrome, dyslexia or Attention Deficit Disorder.

Some other facts about children and depression are:

Teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to develop depression (according to the National Institute of Mental Health.)

Children who have parents with the disorder are more likely to develop some form of depression (National Institute of Mental Health)

Four out of five runaway/homeless street youth suffer from depression (according to the U.S. Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families)

The consequences of depression in childhood can be very severe. For one thing it is a precursor for all sorts of personality disorders and serious depression in adult hood. It also indicates that the child is at increase risk for such problems as addiction, alcoholism, manic depression and suicide. This is one of the reasons why it is so important for parents, teachers and guardians to detect depression in children early before it becomes a chronic and self-sabotaging chronic condition that last throughout the victim's entire life.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , , , ,

Managing Team Building

Bullying is a fact of life but that does not mean it should be 'just let go'. If your child is the one being bullied it can cause a lot of damage to his or her self-esteem. Nowadays teens and young children are experience even more violence than ever. My own personal opinion is that this is caused by stress and nervous tensions. Teens today have more reason to be depressed than ever. They have schedules as bad as we do. It also seems they are losing their innocence when they are younger then ever.

Bullying has even caused suicides in very young children and teens because it makes them feel so left out of their peer group. A kid subject to bullying may also see no recourse or no way out of the situation. With no way to fight they give up and become very depressed.

If your child's behavior shows any changes you should encourage them to talk to you. Often a sullen or withdrawn kid or one that looks depressed is dealing with a bully at school. Let's face it. If you own a child they will not always tell you what is wrong. You need to perceptive. I am an excellent min d reader.

One tip off is the kid that keeps trying to think of ways to get out of going to school. Teens may not sleep or act listless. There may be no engagement at all in any social activities. They may be irritable and even bully other children to kind of release the energy of what is being done to them all day. In some cases the bullying is so bad that your kid can't eat, develops an ulcer or becomes physically ill.

If you find out there is a bully you need to instruct your child on how to avoid it. Often that is all you can do to help them avoid it. Make sure that they know that it is the bully that has the problem or that is not good enough and not they. You can also teach your child to avoid bullies whenever possible without changing too much of their lives. The idea is to find a compromise between avoiding the bully and having the bully control your life.

Kids also have to know that violence also makes it worse. Tell them of the dangers of fighting fire with fire and how that can cause conflicts to escalate.

You should also tell your kid to stand their ground and walk away from bullies. This is part of a lesson about choosing your battles wisely. If a bully approaches you make sure that they aren't afraid and that you will not be pushed around.

I always contact the school officials when this sort of thing happens. They are more serious about stopping bullying then ever as they have figured out that this type of aggression can lead to something as severe as the Columbine high school shootings.

Parenting Tips
, , , , ,