Items Tagged With “Children”

Depression is more than just “feeling blue” or having a bad day. And it’s different from feelings of grief or sorrow that follow a major loss, such as a death in the family. It’s not a personal weakness or a character flaw. Children and teens with clinical depression cannot simply “snap out of it.” 

All children experience some anxiety; this is normal and expected. For example, when left alone at preschool for the first time, many children will show distress; a young child with his or her own room may develop a fear of the dark. Such anxiety becomes a problem when it interrupts a child’s normal activities, like attending school and making friends or sleeping. Persistent and intense anxiety that disrupts daily routine is a mental health problem that requires help.

Two years ago I wrote a children’s book devoted to these questions. It’s called, “What Does Depressed Mean? A Guidebook for Children with a Depressed Loved One.” Excerpted from the book, here are seven things that you can say to your child when you’re depressed. Written for a child …

Many children, and especially adolescents, experience mood swings as a normal part of growing up, but when these feelings persist and interfere with a child’s ability to function in daily life, bipolar disorder could be the cause. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, is a mood disorder marked by extreme changes in mood, energy levels and behavior.

Young people sometimes turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with life’s frustrations, to feel more adult-like, to fit in, to rebel, or to satisfy their curiosity about drugs and drinking. Teens with depression or other mental health problems are particularly vulnerable to alcohol and drug use. 

Conduct disorder is a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in children and adolescents in which the rights of others or basic social rules are violated. The child or adolescent usually exhibits these behavior patterns in a variety of settings—at home, at school, and in social situations—and they cause significant impairment in his or her social, academic, and family functioning.

A significant portion of people will experience some form of a mental illness at one point in their lives. Of this larger number, a portion experiences chronic mental illness which means that the illness is ongoing.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. This means that a significant portion of those with some type of mental illness began to experience symptoms as a teenager.

The death of a loved one is always difficult. For children, the death of a loved one can affect their sense of security. Like adults, children express loss by grieving. Yet children may not demonstrate the grief in the same manner as adults.

A few decades ago, children often didn’t attend funerals. The thinking was that they should be sheltered from the pain of losing a loved one. And as Americans started living longer, the need to even broach the subject of death was delayed because many grandparents survived deep into their golden years.

All children are oppositional from time to time, particularly when tired, hungry, stressed or upset.  They may argue, talk back, disobey, and defy parents, teachers, and other adults. 

Some might think knowing of a loved one’s impending passing in advance somehow eases the pain, but anyone who’s experienced it would tell you it’s one of the most difficult challenges a person could ever face.

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is a complex psychiatric illness that can affect young children. It is characterized by serious problems in emotional attachments to others. RAD usually presents by age 5, but a parent, caregiver or physician may notice that a child has problems with emotional attachment by their first birthday. 

Wouldn’t it be great if we never had to second guess ourselves as parents? Wouldn’t it be great if we could always feel confident in our parenting role?

With only 146 child psychiatrists in Missouri to serve the approximate 362,000 children who need one, MO-CPAP offers hope to youth and families.

Depression is a sneaky adversary. Hopefully what I learned can help you too.