Symptoms in children that can alert of a depression
Wrongly it is believed that the depression It is a problem of adults, that during childhood can not suffer from this disorder that adds to people in a state of continuous sadness. However, this thought is false, and the smallest of the house also go through these episodes. Often without being appreciated by parents in their first moments.
As with any problem, the early detection of symptoms favors an effective treatment. What are the signs that should alert parents? What aspects change in the day to day of the smallest and are indicative of something bad happening to them? These questions are answered by the study published in JAMA Psychiatry that reveals to the parents the clues to detect a possible depression in their children.
Anxiety and irritability
This investigation was composed by a longitudinal study carried out throughout 4 years (April 2007 to March 2011). The sample was composed by a group of descendants of parents who had gone through episodes of depression. A total of 337 families, where 315 mothers and 22 parents, had experienced at least 2 of this disorder.
The age range of the children participating in this study was between 9 and 17 years old who live with their parents. The results indicated that 20 children developed major depression at age 14, adolescence and greater transcision. To detect this disorder, children were required to have at least five symptoms, including a persistent mood, irritability and loss of interest in normal activities.
Among the symptoms most related to the first steps of depression, the researchers found that irritability, fear and anxiety were the most common signs at the beginning. These results can help you to begin with the treatment of this disorder before it even begins.
Other symptoms of depression
From the National Institute of Mental Health the following signs of depression in children are highlighted. A child with this disorder can pretend to be sick, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that one of their parents may die. Older people may be in a bad mood, be part of problems in school like fights, keep a negative attitude and feel misunderstood.
Before puberty, boys and girls are equally likely to suffer from depression disorders. However, at 15 years, women are twice as likely as men to have had an episode of severe depression.23
Depression in adolescents comes at a time of great personal changes, when men and women are defining a different identity from their parents, dealing with issues of gender and their emerging sexuality, and making decisions for the first time in their lives. Depression in adolescence often coexists with other disorders such as anxiety, disruptive behavior, eating disorders, or beginning of alcohol intake.
Damián Montero
