Can anxiety and depression be found in kids?
Depression doesn't knock at your work seeing your age, caste, or color. It's a mood disorder that can happen to anybody at any point in time. Please note here to not confuse the generic mood swings of children as they grow up with the actual depression. Both are different! Depression and anxiety among children often take place one after another. It can heavily affect the way you interact with your family members and friends. The worst it can affect you is when it starts taking a toll on your studies and heightening your mood swings. You may also witness your child having the least interest in enjoying the daily school activities or going out with families.
Before we proceed, let's understand the symptoms of depression and anxiety one by one. Stay connected so that you can get a tour of what it feels like to have depression and anxiety among children.
Symptoms of depression in children
Numerous symptoms of depression are found in kids today. The most common of them are mentioned below -
Sudden disorders in eating schedules.
Lacking all of their interest and enthusiasm from the social or fun playing activities.
Having behavioral issues at home, social gatherings, and school.
Feeling provoked or irritated very easily.
Feeling tired more than 70% of the time.
Having depressive episodes leading to worthlessness, fearlessness, and hopelessness.
Symptoms of anxiety in children
Multiple symptoms of anxiety are found in kids today. With proper research, they are mentioned below -
The suspicion that any member from their family would die.
Excess sweating, dizziness, and panicking.
Continuous worry about the landscape of the future.
Fear of adjusting everything on your own when you are away from your family.
Fear of getting isolated from family members
No participation in social activities.
Not like to go to schools
How common is depression among children?
Say it anxiety or depression, both are extremely common among children today! Among the aged 3 to 17 years of children, almost 7% face anxiety problems. In contrast to this, 3% of them face depression. Researchers also said that depression and anxiety are more commonly found in teenage children aged between 12 to 17. The research found out that the 3.2 million teen children in the United States between 12 to 17 years old were said to give at least one of the major depressive episodes among them. It comes to almost 13.3% of the total US population.
Causes of depression and anxiety in children
Depression and anxiety among the kids can be caused due to unseen reasons which often get neglected and are too common to be true! We have stated these causes in the below section for the understanding of parents -
Existing Depression in the Family line history.
Intake of alcohol, smoking, and drugs.
Stressful situations at a too early age.
Traumatic life events are too difficult for a kid's mind to handle.
Environmental concerns also lead to depression.
Physical chronic illnesses or accidents.
How to prevent depression or anxiety in children?
Various treatments are available at hospitals to treat depression and anxiety among kids. Although, these are similar to the ones recommended to the adults, just that their case is handled more carefully looking at their age. List of such treatments are stated below -
Medications
Medicines given to the victims of depression and anxiety are nothing but antidepressants. The most common of them all is the serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It releases the chemicals in the body of a child which is responsible for creating happiness and overall well-being. Researchers stated that antidepressants among kids should be used with caution. More than 60% of the kids and no improvement by the intake of these medications and faced the more critical condition. Also, make sure to follow all the instructions provided by the mental health doctor about the timely intake of these medicines. Do not let your child stop taking it on your terms as it can lead to severe side effects.
Counseling or Psychotherapy
With the purpose to treat anxiety and depression among children, the doctors generally use CBT - Cognitive-behavioral therapy as the biggest tool. It is pretty much a kind of psychotherapy that eases the symptoms of either depression to anxiety. It assists the kids by helping them with the alternatives to manage their fears, trauma, and stress. Overall it is intended to make a kid back to his healthy state and free from all the depressive episodes.
Medication + Psychotherapy
Here, in each kid's case, both of the therapy tools can be used at once for better treatment. It is generally used in severe cases where a child needs more quick attention. The doctor performs the treatment of depression and anxiety by applying both I.e., antidepressants and performing psychotherapy sessions.
Key Takeaways
As a parent ourselves, we can understand how painful it could be for you to see your child going through a lot of problems and troubles all at once. But just note one thing, that mental health help is available. You are not alone in this race. We all are together indeed! With the help of the right treatment, all your worries will be put aside and your child will rise back with flying colors. Make sure to consult the doctor at the very moment you witness any symptoms of depression or anxiety in your child. Also, you should help your child by creating a nontoxic and healthy happy atmosphere around him. Take care of his studies, help him participate in various activities, and take care of his daily habits too. Be like friends with your child maintaining healthy boundaries though. Let them know that you are there always with whom they can speak their heart out. The right help at the right time is the key to success in treating depression and anxiety! Make sure to take extra care of your kids. We are there to help you handle all of this!
Reference
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14938-depression-in-children