Symptoms of Childhood Depression Part 2

This post will be a continuation from my first post about possible symptoms of childhood depression.  My information is coming from my education, my own experiences as someone who suffered with childhood depression and my experiences working with the mentally ill. 

 

If a caregiver has any concerns that a child is suffering from depression; have the child assessed by a therapist, counselor or other mental health professional.  Most of these symptoms are normal to have every now and then but if you notice a child has 3 or more of these symptoms that occur most of the day, nearly every day for more than 2 weeks then it could be a concern.  Let’s get back to the symptoms. 

 

Many depressed children may appear to not enjoy life or not enjoy the things they used to be interested in.  They may not have many friends.  If they do they may spend less time with those friends or may stop playing with friends all together.  They may not enjoy sports they once liked or they may stop playing sports.  A depressed child may have little or no interest in playing with their toys, drawing or coloring.  They may play outside less or not at all.  They may stop reading books they like or stop playing video games.  If you notice your child doesn’t seem to have any fun or enjoy anything, you may want to get the child assessed or at least look to see if he has any other symptoms.

 

Some symptoms are more visible than others.  Like a depressed child may experience weight loss or weight gain. You may notice the child is eating less or maybe less often.  The child may not be gaining the weight that is expected as she grows.  I said in my previous post that depression can cause nausea and stomach problems.  Because of this some depressed children may not want to eat.  For some children the opposite may be true. 

 

You may notice the child is eating more food than usual and more often.  Some children may become emotional eaters.  I have seen some parents tell their children that eating will make them feel better.  It’s not a good idea to say that to children.  That can contribute to a child becoming someone who tries to stuff down all their pain with food instead of talking about what is making them feel bad.  Also when a child is under stress their bodies may crave carbohydrates like pasta and bread. 

 

I know it may seem odd that weight loss or weight gain can be symptoms.  Usually people say, is it one or the other.  Children are different and depression can affect them in many different ways.  The symptoms of depression can vary from child to child.  One child might lose weight but a different child may gain weight.  Just notice if a child’s weight has changed or if they don’t seem to be thriving, which means gaining the weight they are supposed to. 

 

  

I’ll stop here for now.  In my next post I’ll talk more about the symptoms of childhood depression.  Thank you so much for taking time to read my posts and thank you for trying to understand childhood depression a little better.  I really hope these posts have been or will be helpful.  I’d appreciate any comments.  I’m also interested in hearing about other people’s experiences with childhood depression and their symptoms.  I just ask that everyone be respectful of others.  Thank you so much.