Frequent sadness, tearfulness, or suicidal thoughts; unexplained physical complaints; unprovoked hostility or aggression; fatigue and low energy; extreme sensitivity; loss of enjoyment of previously pleasurable activities; change in eating or sleep habi
The Change to Parent For

Your child begins to enjoy the life he deserves and develops stronger emotional adaptability and coping skills to handle the normal problems of growing up.

Question: "We just moved to a new city and my daughter is having a hard time making friends. She cries and is so moody. How do I know if this is normal or something more serious?"

Answer: Every child feels sad and moody from time to time, but this kind of behavior should have a time limit. To help you see the difference between normal sadness and depression, apply the word "too" in these questions. Is your child's sadness too deep? Does it last too long or happen too often? Is it interfering with too many other areas of her life such as her home, school, friends? If so, it could be a sign of clinical depression. If you spot that your child clearly is a "different kid" than she was and there are no physical problems that can explain the symptoms, and if those signs continue over several weeks with no improvement, then it may very well be a depression that needs special help.
Why Change?

Here is what's not true about your child and depression: "She's too young to be depressed." "Don't worry. It's only a phase." "Real depression is something only teens or adults get." "He'll outgrow it." The sobering reality is that depression does strike kids—and it hits hard.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in twenty children and teens is "significantly" depressed.24 Not only are the rates of childhood depression increasing, but depression is also impacting younger kids. A kid today is ten times more likely to be seriously depressed compared to a child born in the first third of this century. Almost one-third of thirteen-year-olds have marked depressive symptoms, and by the time kids finish high school, almost 15 percent have had an episode of major depression.25 Because depression is frequently overlooked, some leading experts predict that almost one in four youngsters will experience a serious episode of depression before his high school graduation.26

Clinical depression is not a phase or a normal stage of development, nor is it something kids can shrug off. It is a serious and sometimes life-threatening disease, and the long-term consequences are just too severe to ignore. A Yale Medical School study found that depressed youngsters are almost four times more likely to have drug or alcohol problems by their midtwenties.27 Nearly one in ten kids who develop major depression prior to their puberty commit suicide, and suicide rates for kids and teens have tripled in three decades.28

The good news is that when depression is diagnosed early and properly treated, kids almost always can be helped and feel better.29 And the earlier you seek treatment, the better. Studies show that how we parent can prevent or greatly minimize this debilitating illness. As Marie Kovacs, a leading researcher in the field of childhood depression, points out: "If you want to make a real difference in depression you have to do something before the kids get sick in the first place. The real solution is psychological inoculation."30 This entry offers some of the proven ways to help your child and get him the help he needs.