Depression

Depression and School-Age Children

Depression in children and adolescents frequently goes undetected. Signs of depression in young people are often seen as normal mood swings typical of a particular developmental stage. Professionals are also often reluctant to prematurely “label” a young person with the diagnosis of depression, but early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to healthy emotional, social, and behavioral development. A longitudinal study published in 1999 found that early onset of depression often persists, recurs, and continues into adulthood and indicates that depression in youths may predict more severe illness in their adult life.

Causes of Depression

Depression may be a result of physiologically (biochemical) and genetically based causes, and like other illnesses, just happens. It may occur after a divorce in the family, the end of a relationship, the death of a loved one, financial problems, or difficulties at home. Depression in both young people and adults may occur at the same time as anxiety or panic attacks, disruptive behavior, substance abuse disorders, sexual dysfunctions, personality disorders, and with physical illness (e.g., diabetes mellitus).

Symptoms and Types of Depression

People react differently when they are depressed. Symptoms of depression include:

• Sadness or crying (that does not always go away)
• Loss of interest or pleasure in once-enjoyed activities (whether work, school, family, or friends)
• Increases or decreases in appetite
• Loss or gain in weight (when not dieting)
• Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
• Physically slowing down or feeling agitated
• No energy to do things
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt (without any reason)
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

An individual should be evaluated by a professional if five or more of the above symptoms are present for more than two weeks, or if any of them cause such a change in life that the person cannot keep up his or her usual home, work, or school routine.

There are three types of depressive disorders: major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder (a chronic, mild depression), and bipolar disorder (commonly [Page 156]known by the now-obsolete term manic–depressive disorder). Each type varies in the duration, number, and experience of depressive symptoms. In bipolar disorder, which is rare in young children, feeling down alternates with manic behavior. The symptoms of mania include overly inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, increased talkativeness, racing thoughts, distractibility, physical agitation, and excessive risk taking. Bipolar disorder may begin with either manic, depressive, or both manic and depressive symptoms.

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