3 Common Indications of Depression in Children

Whether it's your child, a young sibling, or a friend, children are susceptible to depression. Unfortunately, unlike adulthood depression, child depression can be challenging to manage and identify. 

You could diagnose a child suffering from depression after observing several signs from the child. To prevent cases of child depression from worsening, knowing the ordinary and almost always hidden indications is vital, and some of those signs include.

1. Constant Mood Changes and Signs of Sadness

Commonly, every child sometimes shows signs of sadness without any viable reasons, especially in a situation known as children's tantrums. But if your kid shows constant signs of despair and irritability that lasts for over a week, they might be suffering from a condition known as disruptive mood dysregulation.

Disruptive mood dysregulation is a sign of child depression that stems from constant feelings of sadness and loss of worthiness. When your child suffers from this kind of depression, they'll lose interest in friendships and schoolwork. All the same, your child might suffer from crying and tearing up frequently without a probable cause. 

Similarly, suppose your child gets angry suddenly or changes from a sense of happiness to a sudden change of a frown face in the presence of others or for no apparent reason. In that case, they might also likely be suffering from depression.

2. Signs of Frequent Senses of Being Misunderstood or Loss of Interest

Naturally, it's common for a child to lose interest in things they once liked and loved, like playing with their toys, dancing to their favorite song, and more. However, a sudden decline in things the child never disliked before is a sign of depression. 

For example, suppose you notice a sudden change in your child's ability to find excitement or joy in things that easily excite other children. In that case, that is a sign of psychological instability, meaning the child is depressed. 

You'll notice your child is becoming indifferent in almost everything without reason. They might also seem to hide their emotions and try to engage with others but at the same time limit their contribution, for example, in dancing and singing. You might quickly notice the child standing or staring at something for long without moving. When this happens, it's a sign of withdrawal. 

On top of that, a depressed child also shows signs of constantly feeling misunderstood. They might also complain that you don't care about them and their feelings. Sometimes, your child might also report feeling sick to withdraw from others. Depending on the severity of the depression in the children, they might sometimes show feelings of fear in trying new things.

3. Signs of Constant Aggressiveness and Guilt

Although this isn't always common, a depressed child, especially in adolescence, sometimes shows signs of constant aggression and guilt. Mostly, this happens due to their psychological mood changes and hormones.

When it happens, you'll realize them getting angrier for petty reasons and sometimes without apparent reasons. You might also discover a child getting mad towards certain people or things without an explanation. 

Usually, they'll get angry because of their inside feelings that certain people and things are the sources of their pain. All the same, your child might easily blame themselves on things and take the blame for such without considering the consequences. Therefore, when you see these or more signs, one of the disorders the child might be suffering from is depression. 

Unfortunately, because these signs can also mean other problems, determining it is depression or not needs a professional's help. Luckily, at BrainCore Therapy of Louisville, there is always a solution. Contact us for prompt counseling and diagnostic mental services.