Signs and Treatment of Childhood Depression

Childhood depression is a type of psycho-emotional disorder that manifests itself in a child with certain behavioral and somatic symptoms. This disorder can appear at a very young age (up to the age of 3), but more often and most brightly, it manifests itself during the teenage years. It is connected with this that there are more and more cases of suicide among adolescents.

Depression in children manifests itself in different ways, through different symptoms, depending on the age of the child and the causes of the illness. Difficulties with the diagnosis of this disorder in the early, preschool and younger school age arise because until the age of 10-12, the child is not yet fully aware of himself/herself and his/her feelings, and cannot characterize his/her condition as "sadness, sadness, melancholy". In these age groups, childhood depression is more often expressed through somatic symptoms, i.e. various kinds of physical ailments in the child. This leads only to long and ineffective trips to doctors, and, alas, to the consolidation of the illness in the psyche and nervous system of the child.

How to recognize the disease in time? What can cause it? How can you prevent the disease from progressing to the chronic stage? The answers to these questions vary depending on the age of the child. Let's take a closer look at each age group.

Most often, depression is psychological, but in children under the age of 3, it requires more substantial causes:

1. Intrauterine abnormalities (intrauterine fetal hypoxia, intrauterine infections, etc.).
2. Pathological, problematic birth or congenital disorders (birth asphyxia, neonatal encephalopathy, etc.).
3. Serious illnesses suffered at an early age.
4. Hereditary reasons, when some family members suffered from mental or neurological disorders.
5. Breaking the emotional connection with the mother (due to placement in an orphanage or for other reasons), the child loses his or her sense of safety and security.
6. Severe, significantly disrupted family environment in which the child grows up (parents' alcoholism, noisy scandals in the home, aggression and violence in the family).

The first four causes can be conventionally called biological. As a consequence of any of them, there may be a certain disorder in the work of the brain, and depression in young children is the result. The last two reasons can be conventionally considered psychological, but in fact, due to their age, the child feels them physically (for example, when there is fighting in the family, a young child suffers and his development is impaired primarily because fear of loud noises is innate and such a stressor is too powerful for a baby).

Symptoms of depression in a young child may manifest as follows:

• decreased appetite, frequent vomiting and regurgitation;
• a delay in weight gain;
• Motor retardation, slowness of movements;
• symptoms of delayed general and psycho-emotional development;
• tearfulness, capriciousness.

If these symptoms are present, the pediatrician and pediatric neurologist should examine the child and prescribe treatment.

Preschool age: 3 to 6-7 years

The child grows, and his or her psyche becomes more complex, influenced by an increasing number of factors - the family atmosphere, the first experience of socialization (going to preschool), the avalanche-like development of thinking and speech that occurs during this period. And the very signs (symptoms) of illness at this age already look different, very often manifesting themselves somatically (through various ailments). You can already understand a child's mood, and although he or she is not yet aware of this, attentive parents may notice irregularities in this area.

At the preschool age, depression in a child manifests itself through symptoms such as:

• impaired motor activity, decreased tone, lack of energy, loss of interest in favorite games and activities;
• desire for solitude, avoidance of contact;
• sadness, the child so far realizes it as "bored and wants to cry;
• Fears of darkness, loneliness, death;
• A sullen facial expression, a quiet voice, a "senile gait;
• a variety of somatic ailments (abdominal pain, upset stomach, body aches, headaches).

As for the causes of the disease, it is important to understand that they can accumulate gradually. Yes, at the preschool age, psychological and social causes of stress come into play. But this does not mean that a child at this age can get depression only on this basis (for example, after the parents' divorce). It is quite possible that there was a biological cause of depression before (for example, perinatal disorders), but the child's body coped with it in the early stages. And after more psychological reasons were added - depression began to develop. This is why it is important to make a quality diagnosis and be sure to be examined by a neurologist when a child of any age is depressed.

Thus, at the preschool age, in addition to those causes that cause depression before the age of 3, the disease can also be caused by these:

1. Psychological reasons. The fundamental one at this age is the family atmosphere, the style of upbringing. A child growing up in a harmonious atmosphere with an effective educational model gets a kind of immunity to any neurotic disorders. Parents lay him the basis of calmness and self-confidence, he is much less susceptible to stress. Another thing is if there are fights in the family, parents are on the verge of divorce, and the child is brought up with the help of yelling and physical force. Such an environment leads to the neuroticization of even the most neurologically stable body.
2. Social Causes. The child enters a period of formation of social relations, begins to attend a children's group, experiences a conflict between his or her desires and the need to take into account the desires and requirements of others.

Children who are melancholic, with a weak and unstable nervous system, are the most susceptible to the development of depression. But even such a child can be helped to strengthen his or her mental health.

If symptoms of depression appear in a child between the ages of 3 and 6 or 7, consultation and joint help from a number of specialists is necessary:

1. Pediatrician's consultation - for a general examination and standard examinations and tests.
2. Consultation with specialized specialists, based on the physical symptoms of the illness (for example, if the child complains of stomach pain - a consultation with a pediatric gastroenterologist is necessary). This is necessary to rule out the presence of really serious somatic diseases.
3. Consultation with a pediatric neurologist to determine whether there are biological causes for the disease, and whether the child's brain and nervous system are normally developed and functioning.
4. If other disorders are excluded and a diagnosis of "depression" is made, treatment by a child psychotherapist.

The key role in this age group is cooperation of the family with a child or family psychologist (psychotherapist). Creation of a favorable psychological climate in the family and a harmonious model of upbringing are capable of solving the lion's share of neurotic problems in the preschool child.

The list of specialists whose consultation may be required is similar to the previous age group.

Junior school age: from 6-7 to 12 years old

When a child enters school, his or her social and academic workload increases significantly. In the classroom the child learns to express himself among his peers, in his studies - to set goals and achieve them, to obey the rules.

The former causes capable of causing neuroticism remain valid - biological, family. But new ones are added to them - the standardized training load (without taking into account the child's psychotype and his or her features), problems in relations with peers and with the teacher. Also during this period, the child starts to form his or her own goals and tries to achieve them. Failure in this also generates neuroticism.

Closer to 10 years of age, depression in children is diagnosed more frequently, and its psychological symptoms begin to be recognized by the child: he or she feels and says that he or she is sad, sad, and does not want anything. Symptoms of depression at this age can be as follows:

1. Physical ailments: general weakness, headaches and dizziness, pains of various localizations (stomach, heart, muscle pain), body aches.
2. Psychological and behavioral symptoms: sadness, melancholy, apathy, lack of interest in play and study, withdrawal from contacts with peers, tearfulness, vulnerability. Closer to age 12, childhood and adolescent depression also begins to show reactions of anger, short temper, irritability. This is connected with hormonal processes in the body.
3. Cognitive (cognitive) disorders: distracted attention, inability to concentrate, problems in mastering educational material.

Adolescence: from age 12 to adulthood

There is a hormonal restructuring of the body, which itself causes mood swings in the child. The first serious emotional connections arise in the outside world - with friends and the opposite sex, and failures in this field are perceived very seriously. Attempts to recognize oneself, one's "I", one's place in the world give rise to a host of internal conflicts and contradictions. Parallel to this, the academic workload increases significantly, and the question of future professionalization arises.

For the first time in all the childhood years, it is not the relationship in the family that comes first, but the interaction of the child with his peers, with his equals. Their authority during this period is often more important than parental authority. But do not forget that a favorable psychological climate in the family and acceptance from parents stay with the child for many years, forming a solid foundation on which your child can always lean and feel confident.

Symptoms of the disease may be the same as in the previous age group. But significant mood swings, anger, irritability are added to them.

It is in this age group that thoughts of death and suicide attempts most often arise. It is important to understand that such manifestations are an extreme form of severe depression, which has developed over several months or even years. Therefore, be attentive to your child, because if you apply for help in time, many problems can be avoided.

The list of specialists you need to go to for examination and help is similar to the previous age group, except instead of the pediatrician, the adolescent doctor is already in charge. Also, an additional consultation with an endocrinologist may be required, depending on the symptoms.

Treatment of depression in children

Treatment of depression in children should be comprehensive, and take into account the age of the child, the duration and severity of the illness, and its symptoms. The methods of treatment may be as follows:

1. Medication treatment - only as prescribed by your doctor.
2. Auxiliary procedures - reflexology, physiotherapy, etc.
3. Treatment of concomitant somatic disorders by specialized specialists.
4. Psychotherapy is the basic method of treatment of any neurotic disorders. For the child, it becomes relevant from the age of 3 years and older, and is maximally important during the teenage period. The maximum cooperation of the family with the specialist is important; the best option is family psychotherapy.
5. Creating favorable physical and mental conditions for the child's life (from daily routines and nutrition to relationships within the family).