Adults might have a difficult time understanding what a child could possible be depressed about. After all, childhood is supposed to be a happy, carefree time.

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Telling the child with depression to "cheer up" or "snap out of it" will not lift the depression. The child with depression needs help. The first step in helping the child with depression is to first recognize the symptoms of childhood depression.

However, identifying depression in the child can be difficult. Children with depression may have difficulty identifying and describing their internal emotional state. They might act out instead of communicating the emptiness they feel inside. Parents are even less likely to identify childhood depression, largely because behavior in the depressed child can be misconstrued as rebellion or disobedience.

Your child might have depression if he or she:

• Displays a persistent sad or irritable mood.
• Has difficulty concentrating.
• Acts hopeless or despondent when things do not go his way.
• Has outbursts of shouting, complaining, unexplained irritability, or crying.
• Spend more time alone, away from friends and family.
• Talks about hurting himself.
• Has persistent sadness and/or irritability.
• Has low self-esteem or feelings or worthlessness.
• Displays a change in appetite/weight.
• Displays a change in sleep patterns.
• Complains of vague, non-specific headaches, stomachaches, muscle aches or other physical pains that seem to have no cause.
• Displays a changes in activity level, either becoming more lethargic or more hyperactive.
• Expresses recurrent thoughts of death or suicide or has an inappropriate fear of death.
• Displays a change in behavior that seems to have no external or physical cause.
• Has an extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure.
• Displays reckless behavior.
• Has difficulty with relationships.

If the child has bipolar disorder (manic depression) these symptoms can also be present:

• Abrupt, rapid mood swings.
• Periods of extreme hyperactivity.
• Prolonged, explosive temper tantrums or rages.
• Exaggerated ideas about self or abilities.

Up to 2.5 percent of children and up to 8.3 percent of adolescents in the U.S. suffer from depression. Boys and girls appear at an equal risk for childhood depression but girls are twice as likely as boys to develop depression during adolescence.

Childhood depression places the child at an increased risk of suicidal behaviors. This risk increases, particularly among adolescent boys, if a conduct disorder or substance abuse accompanies the depression. As many as 7 percent of adolescents with depression may commit suicide in the young adult years. It is critical for parents to take all threats of suicide seriously and get immediate help for any child who expressed suicidal thoughts or actions.

A number of external risk factors can also place a child in danger of depression.

Childhood Depression Causes/Risk Factors Include:

• Family history of mental illness or suicide.
• Loss of a parent or loved one, due to death, divorce or abandonment.
• Abuse (physical, emotional or sexual) or neglect.
• Attention Deficit, conduct or learning disorders.
• Break-up of a romantic relationship.
• Chronic illness.
• Stress.
• Other trauma.

An imbalance of brain chemicals, and specifically a low level of serotonin, can cause childhood depression. The newer antidepressants (SSRIs) work to elevate serotonin levels in the brain but antidepressant medication for depression in children is a highly controversial topic.

Doctors continue to prescribe other antidepressants despite manufacturer and FDA warnings against using these high-powered drugs on children under the age of 18. There is an established link between some antidepressants and suicide in children. Additionally, there is question as to whether other antidepressants are even effective with children.

It is critical to approach antidepressant drugs for childhood depression with extreme caution. There are safe and effective methods of treating childhood depression without resorting to danger antidepressant medications. Deprex safely works to increase serotonin levels in the brain without side effects common in antidepressant drugs.

Childhood depression often accompanies Attention Deficit Disorder. To effectively treat the depression, the companion disorders must also be treated. The Attend, Extress and Memorin supplements are especially beneficial when used with Deprex for companion disorders.

For Attend, Extress and Memorin supplements, visit the Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center.

Return to Depression Directory.

Teen Depression || Bipolar depression || Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression || Holiday Depression || Childhood Depression || Seasonal Depression || Severe Depression || Woman and Depression || Depression in Elderly || Male Depression || Atypical Depression || Types of Depression.