{"id":1596,"date":"2014-05-12T05:55:51","date_gmt":"2014-05-12T12:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/?p=1596"},"modified":"2014-05-12T05:55:51","modified_gmt":"2014-05-12T12:55:51","slug":"signs-that-your-child-may-be-suffering-from-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2014\/05\/12\/signs-that-your-child-may-be-suffering-from-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Signs That Your Child May Be Suffering From Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/depressedchild.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1597\" alt=\"depressedchild\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/depressedchild.jpg\" width=\"245\" height=\"162\" \/><\/a>It is common for children to experience a variety of emotions that range from sadness to utter joy. However, many children sink into a state of depression when they are overcome by their emotions and are unable to move past the emotional roller coaster. Often, situational experiences and genetics play a role, too. According to <a href=\"http:\/\/tamarchansky.com\/\">Dr. Tamar Chansky<\/a>, Pennsylvania-based psychologist and author of <i>Freeing Your Child From Negative Thinking<\/i>, children of depressed parents have a 61% chance of developing a psychiatric condition, with a 45% chance that it is depression, versus an 11% chance of developing depression if the mother is not depressed.<\/p>\n<p>Helping your child cope before depression takes over his or her life begins with recognizing signs or symptoms that indicate he or she is suffering from the disorder. Learn how to recognize the red flags and provide your child with the help he or she needs.<\/p>\n<p><b>Depression: Be In The Know<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Children exhibit signs and symptoms of depression in many different ways depending upon their age, maturity level and emotional stability.<\/p>\n<p>According to Chansky, parents and nannies should be concerned if they recognize that the following symptoms are present for at least two weeks, cause significant distress and interfere with the child\u2019s functioning:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Change in mood<\/li>\n<li>More withdrawn, irritable, angry, apathetic or sad<\/li>\n<li>Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities<\/li>\n<li>Crying easily or excessively<\/li>\n<li>Increased clinginess or separation anxiety<\/li>\n<li>Change in attitude; things in life are exhausting, too hard, too boring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>The Preschooler<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Signs and symptoms will vary significantly as your child ages. According to Chansky, preschoolers will experience mood swings, but when your child is unable to move from grumpy to happy, it could be a sign of depression. \u201cNormally, anything of interest in the world \u2013 a dog, a cloud, a burp, can charm a preschooler out of a grumpy mood, but depression is different,\u201d she says. \u201cThe mood takes on a life of its own and won\u2019t budge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parents of preschoolers should seek help when recognizing the following signs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Appearance is sad, eyes downcast, has difficulty smiling<\/li>\n<li>Change in activity level \u2013 either hyperactive or lethargic<\/li>\n<li>Frustration increases and tolerance decreases<\/li>\n<li>May see hitting, biting and screaming<\/li>\n<li>Separation anxiety<\/li>\n<li>Physical symptoms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>The School-Aged Child<\/b><\/p>\n<p>As your child enters school, his frustration level may be magnified when academic and social pressures impact his emotional well-being. Some children experience negative thoughts, such as \u201cI\u2019m stupid\u201d when he doesn\u2019t score well on a test or \u201cI hate everything \u2013 why try?\u201d when faced with challenges. \u201cAnd though sometimes that thought process can occur normally, with depression, their beliefs and the feelings that accompany them are stuck,\u201d says Chansky. \u201cThey are convinced that these ideas are true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to signs outlined for preschoolers, Chansky designates the following additional red flags for school-aged children:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Difficulty making decisions \u2013 they feel responsible that they will make the \u2018wrong\u2019 choice and it will be irrevocable<\/li>\n<li>May be worried, suddenly hesitating to do things like go to a friend\u2019s house \u2013 they are afraid that they will feel bad there and won\u2019t be able to cope<\/li>\n<li>Change in sleep patterns, difficulty sleeping<\/li>\n<li>Change in eating habits \u2013 either overeating or reduced appetites<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>The Teenager<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you notice that your teen is exhibiting many of the signs outlined for preschoolers and school-aged children, accompanied by a negative preoccupation with themselves, Chansky suggests that the additional red flags detailed below may be cause for concern:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Deterioration in self-care<\/li>\n<li>Decreased participation in school work<\/li>\n<li>Spends increasing time alone<\/li>\n<li>Emotional over-eating or not eating<\/li>\n<li>Self harm<\/li>\n<li>Withdrawn from social activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How You Can Help<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Recognizing signs and symptoms of depression in your child is the first step, but there is so much more parents and nannies can do to help children cope with the guidance of a professional counselor or therapist.<\/p>\n<p>While coping with depression, your child needs empathy and optimism, says Chansky. \u201cAccept and reflect what your child is feeling,\u201d she says. \u201cAlso, help your child to get different perspectives on their situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When your child feels lost, it\u2019s important to find a table for two when it comes to optimism, says Chansky. \u201cIn other words, you can\u2019t teach your children skills of accurate thinking if you aren\u2019t following them yourselves,\u201d she says. \u201cParents may get discouraged and distressed seeing their child suffering but they need to stick with the plan themselves \u2013 get specific, change the thought in your head to \u2018My child is having trouble right now; I can help him; He doesn\u2019t want to be this way; This isn\u2019t how it will always be.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is common for children to experience a variety of emotions that range from sadness to utter joy. However, many children sink into a state of depression when they are overcome by their emotions and are unable to move past &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2014\/05\/12\/signs-that-your-child-may-be-suffering-from-depression\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1598,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596\/revisions\/1598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}