Introduction
The ratio of depression and anxiety patients is increasing drastically in young kids particularly teens and adolescents. Teen depression is becoming a severe health issue nowadays, and parents are concerned about the well beings of their kids. Due to this growing restlessness among parents, we have compiled this article after doing thorough research on this topic.
What is Depression?
First of all, being a parent, you have to be familiar with what actually depression is. Depression is a condition of sadness that is more severe than normal grief, and it affects your child’s ability to function normally. Depression is a severe mental health condition that can cause a persistent feeling of sadness in your kid. As a result, the person being affected by depression losses interest in all activities and functions.
Symptoms of Depression:
Anyone can be a victim of depression, but the symptoms vary from person to person. However, there are some common symptoms that you should observe if you think your child is going through depression. Here are some symptoms that you should watch out for and if you find them, immediately take medical help.
Emotional Change:
If you observe these emotional changes in your kid, you have to be alert.
- Feelings of sadness with crying episodes without any apparent reasons.
- Feeling depressed and hopeless.
- Irritated and angry most of the time.
- Lack of self-confidence and self-esteem.
- Showing a lack of interest in regular activities.
- Sticking on to past failures and feeling useless.
- Concentration issues.
- Frequent thoughts of suicide or death.
Behavioral Change:
You should watch out for these changes in behavior as well:
- Sudden poor school performance, i.e., low grades
- Less concerned for personal appearance or hygiene.
- Anger episodes with self-harming acts.
- Social isolation.
- Appears fatigued or tired all the time.
- Changes in sleeping habits, i.e., Insomnia or too much sleep.
- Changes in appetite
- Use of drugs or alcohol.
- Sluggish body movements.
Causes of Depression:
Many things can lead a child to depression. Some of the underlying causes of depression in children are:
Peer Pressure & Academic Expectations:
One of the biggest reasons for depression in kids is peer pressure. Peer Pressure is any pressure that one feels due to their friends or prodigies. When the child feels left behind by his age fellows, there are chances that he/she can feel depressed. Another significant cause of depression in kids is the academic expectations of their parents. No parent will intentionally pressurize their kids for a good grade, but sometimes expectations put an unforeseen pressure on the kids. Moreover, when the child isn’t able to fulfill that expectation, there are chances that they can go in depression.
Loss of a relationship:
Children particularly Teenagers and adolescents are in that stage of their life where relationships matter. However, if somehow, they lose their loved ones there are chances that they can go in depression. Therefore, it is advised that parents should keenly monitor their teens and if anything seems abnormal talk with them. The best way of monitoring your teen’s activities is by installing a good quality monitoring app like KidSecured. Such apps allow you to track your kid’s activities adequately.
Some other causes include:
- Family history of depression.
- Parents’ divorce.
- Loss of a loved one.
- Trauma.
- Chronic illness etc.
Conclusion:
Child depression isn’t a typical disease, and if you observe its symptoms in your child, you should immediately take medical help. Moreover, the best remedy for saving your children from such diseases is family time. Please try to spend more time with your family and interact with your kids more often.
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