DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN?
12 September, 2018 (Consolace Counselling Services)
Depression in children
“Nothing hits harder than life.” Yes, you cannot expect sunshine and rainbows through out your life. There will be tough times as well as happy moments. Life changes its phase like moon. Sometimes you feel you have got everything in life; it's complete. The next moment you feel something is missing. That's the cycle of life. But what happens when you surrender yourself before the tough times? You get detached from life. You don't see anything good happening to you in future. All your hopes die. And depression takes over your life. The worst thing about depression is that it can happen to anyone including children.
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Possible causes of depression in children:
As far as children are concerned, there are a number of factors that can lead to depression. It is important to identify the symptoms before the situation worsens. Let us have a look at a few causes of depression in children-
- Medical Conditions: Children with chronic diseases like epilepsy, diabetes etc. are more likely to suffer from depression. In some cases depression occurs as a side effect of certain medications.
- Genetic: If there is a history of depression in the family, there are high chances of depression in children who belong to the same family.
- Psychological facto rs: Physical and emotional trauma leave deep impact on the minds of children. It is most commonly observed that children who have seen parents' divorce, or have experienced any other kind of physical and emotional shock are more likely to show symptoms of depression.
Ways to fight depression:
The first step to treat depression in children is to understand the symptoms. If you see that your child is not active as he or she used to be before or there is a significant change in the behaviour of your child, it means your child needs help. Often those with depressive disorders show mood swings, have difficulty in performing daily activities, look tired and sad most of the time and lose interest in everything. Remember, the quicker you observe the symptoms, easier it will be to treat depression.
Treatment for depression in children include-
Medication: If the child is showing symptoms of depression due to certain medical problem, it can be treated by alleviating the medical condition responsible for it.
Psychotherapy: It is most commonly known as 'talk therapy’. Take your child to a mental health counselor in case medication is not enough to pull your child out of depression. It is important to make your child believe that somebody is there who understands his/her condition. A counsellor will talk to the child and suggest ways to cope with depression. Counselling can help in fighting depression to a great extent by providing mental strength and support to the patient.
Parent's support: Parents have a major role to play in the early detection of symptoms. Parents can help in providing good mental health by simply encouraging the child to maintain good diet and to do activities that keep them positively engaged.
Depression can be referred to as mental cancer. Don't let it play with your life. Choose the right treatment before it gets too late.