How Do You Cure Depression in Children?

depressed child

It's estimated that depression in children exists in 1 out of every 10 children. Is your child suffering?

I've written an article below for you which answer the following questions...

  • What Are The Symptoms and Behaviors Of Childhood Depression?
  • What Causes Depression in Children?
  • How Do You Correctly Diagnose It?
  • What Are The Common Treatment Approaches to Treating Childhood Depression?
  • And Finally, Great Advice To Parents With Depressed Children

First off, what are the signs of childhood depression?

Symptoms and Behaviors - Childhood Depression

  • Crying, feeling sad, helpless or hopeless
  • Feeling discouraged or worthless
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in others or most activities
  • Fatigue and loss of energy nearly every day
  • Bad temper, irritable, easily annoyed
  • Fearful, tense, anxious
  • Repeated rejection by other children
  • Drop in school performance
  • Inability to sit still, fidgeting or pacing
  • Repeated emotional outbursts, shouting or complaining
  • Doesn't talk to other children
  • Repeated physical complaints without medical cause (headaches, stomach aches, aching arm or legs)
  • Significant increase or decrease in appetite (not due to appropriate dieting)
  • Change in sleep habits

Your Child's Serious Symptoms of Depression

Your child's depression is extremely serious when they suffer from...

  • Suicidal thoughts, feelings or self-harming behavior
  • Use of alcohol or other drugs
  • Symptoms of depression combined with strange or unusual behavior

What Causes Depression in Children?

Your Child's Relatives; Perhaps You, the Parent?

Studies have shown that close relatives of children with major depression are more likely to suffer from depression. If you've gone through our e-course, you'll learn more about what family habits contribute to depression.

Your Child's Brain?

A number of brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, can cause depression if they are not firing correctly due to poor life style habits such as an incomplete diet and little exercise.

Your Child's Physical Health?

Childhood Depression often happens when Medical and health related problems have also been related to symptoms of depression. (e.g. medical conditions, disease, viral infections)

Your Child's Stress?

Busy

We live in an age where, for some reason, we parents feel like we have to be busy. We are busy as parents and then we busy our children, enrolling them in every activity. Childhood sports are an example. At a very young age, we sign them up for highly competitive sports. What happened to simple play?

Grief

Depression in children easily occurs with grief over loss of a pet, loved one, etc. Children need to grieve and talk through their grief. If this is the case with your child, please take her to talk with a children's therapist.

Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness often occurs in children who are raised in harsh social environments where success is difficult to achieve. They suffer motivational losses and are very resistant to training. It's a mental state in which people of all ages feel that they have no control over their failures and that failure is inevitable.

Children with learned helplessness typically fail academic subjects, and are less intrinsically motivated than others. They may use learned helplessness as an excuse or a shield to provide self-justification for school failure. Additionally, describing someone as having learned to be helpless can serve as a reason to avoid blaming him or her for the inconveniences experienced. In turn, the student will give up trying to gain respect or advancement through academic performance (Ramirez, Maldonado, Martos, 1992).

If depression in children comes from learned helplessness, simply love that child and tell her when she does something good and right! Affirm her positive behaviour!

Personality Traits

Depression in children can happen due to their personalities. Professional counselors are keenly aware of specific personality types which are more prone to depression and how each one should take action steps. (e.g. characteristics that influence reactivity to stress)

Depression in children happen can due to their environment. Some of the most common are...

  • Lack of outside encouragement and love
  • Lack of social skills
  • Lack of family togetherness and love
  • Family conflict
  • Lack of ability to provide for self-monitoring, self-evaluation and self-encouragement.
  • Negative views of self, the world and one's future.
  • Learned helplessness
  • Deficient problem solving skills.

Depression in children can happen when the following events occur...

  • Separation, divorce of parents or even close relatives.
  • Death of a loved one; a person or a pet.
  • A move from one town, or even one neighborhood, to another.
  • Academic, sports or athletic failure.
  • An injury or physical illness resulting in hospitalization or restricted activity.
  • Loss of customary surroundings, family, or close friends.
  • Embarrassment, shame, guilt or loss of face
  • Failure to live up to personal expectations.
  • Repeated physical, emotional or verbal abuse.

Read on to answer the following questions:

How Do You Correctly Diagnose Depression in Children?

What Are The Common Treatment Approaches to Depression in Children?

Advice To Parents With Depressed Children

Learn the answers here...

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