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Depression in Children and Teens
11-01-2017
In our last column, we learned how to help children and teens cope with anxiety. This week, we’ll do the same for depression. Although it’s estimated that 2% of BC’s children under the age of 12 and 8% of teens suffer from moderate to severe depression, all too often childhood depression is misinterpreted as purposeful laziness, immature moodiness, or unjustified sadness.
It is natural for children and teens to be irritable or down from time to time, especially when they have to deal with a difficult situation such as losing a friend or not getting something they really want. Feelings of discouragement and frustration are normal when life seems unfair. Most children and teens are resilient, meaning they have the ability to “bounce-back” after negative experiences. Depression is different from these bouts of temporary unhappiness. Depression is when someone is unable to regain their former happiness and instead they get stuck in a dark void where nothing seems to matter and no one seems cares.
Depression can range from mild to severe. When prolonged sadness, lack of energy, or negative thoughts stop your child from enjoying people and activities that used to bring happiness, he or she may be suffering from depression. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) recommends watching for four key areas of change: feelings, thinking, behaviour, and physical health.
Changes in feelings: Look for signs of being unhappy, worried, guilty, angry, fearful, helpless, hopeless, lonely, or rejected.
Changes in thinking: Listen for things that indicate low self-esteem, self-dislike or self-blame for example, they may only talk about themself negatively. They may have a hard time concentrating. In some cases, they may show signs that they’re thinking about suicide.
Changes in behaviour: Watch for withdrawal from others, crying easily, or showing less interest in sports, games, or other fun activities that he or she normally enjoys. There might be over-reactions and sudden outbursts of anger or tears over small incidents. Your child may start to engage in risky activities such as cutting or alcohol and substance abuse.
Changes in physical health: Pay attention to complaints of headaches or general pain that you can’t explain. Your child may feel tired all the time or have problems eating or sleeping. He or she child may unexpectedly gain or lose weight.
CMHA reminds parents and caregivers to look at the big picture: how intense are the changes? Do they last for more than two weeks? What does your child or teen say when you ask about the changes you’ve noticed? If you feel your child may be depressed, talk to a doctor or counsellor. There are effective treatments for childhood depression that build life-long healthy coping skills.
Treatment often begins with education - for the affected person and their family. Learning about depression helps reduce blame, guilt, and embarrassment. Individual or family counselling is also a common avenue for support. Parents often feel helpless or frustrated when dealing with a child or teen with depression. Standing supportively alongside a child or teen who is burdened with unhappy feelings and negative thoughts can be draining. Counselling can guide the development of healthy strategies for the whole family. At times, the intensity of the depression may warrant medication. The decision to use medication is complicated, and requires clear communication with your child’s doctor. Antidepressants for children and teens are usually only prescribed after first undergoing counselling. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and adequate sleep can boost energy and reduce symptoms of depression, but are likely insufficient on their own.
The exact causes of depression are not completely understood. Depression can affect anybody and can strike even when “life is good.” It is believed to be a combination of situational, biological, psychological, and genetic factors. Medically, depression is classified as a mood disorder and considered a mental illness - a scary thought for most parents.
As parents and caregivers, we want our children to be happy. We want them to feel confident, have lots of friends, and live a vibrant full-filling life. But, as parents, we also have to be brave enough to acknowledge that sometimes our child is not happy, and sometimes that unhappiness doesn’t go away - it seeps into his or her mind like a cold grey fog. Unlike a skinned-knee, depression doesn’t heal with a kiss and a bandaid. If you see red flags regarding changes in your child’s feelings, thinking, behaviour, and physical health seek professional health. The high price paid by our children and teens suffering from mental distress will be examined further in the next column.
Zainab Dhanani can be reached at z_dhanani@yahoo.ca
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