Is Your Child Depressed?
Childhood and adolescence are very influential stages. They are periods in life where the brain is rapidly growing and acquiring skills that will shape their adulthood. This makes these stages critical for mental health awareness and recovery. You can’t rely on your kids coming and speaking to you. Instead, you should take action by recognising the signs. Just because a child seems down doesn’t necessarily mean they have depression. However, if this saddens is persistent begins to negatively impact other aspects of their life, then this may be an indication they have a depressive illness.
All kids are different and will respond in different ways. However, some specific behaviours should raise a level of concern.
Fatigue and Lack of Motivation.
In children, this lack of motivation is often present in school. Whether their academic performance steadily drops and they no longer seem to care about their grades or if they are skipping classes. This is also a behaviour that should be noted in any extra-curricular activity your child enjoys if a sport or activity they once loved has suddenly been dropped and not replaced by another.
Changes in Appetite or Weight
If your child suddenly gains or loses a lot of weight for no medical reason, it would be recommended to start paying attention to their diet and eating habits.
Persistent Negative Feelings or Behaviour
Children don’t have adult stresses, so often smaller matters in their life can consume them. This could be academic or extra-curricular failures, or it could simply be fallout with friends. The thing to notice is how long it takes for them to get back to their ‘normal’ selves. If this is longer than a couple of weeks, then definitely start to pay attention.
Social Isolation
We all go through times when we just want time alone. However, for teens, social interaction is really important in their development and maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle. If your child is cooped up in their room for hours on end, then this could be a sign that they are internally struggling.
Talking about Struggling to Cope with Their Emotions.
If your child speaks to you about constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed, then listen and let them discuss their problems. Whether you agree or not with what they are saying, sometimes kids just need someone to understand what they are going through.