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Many people have the wrong vision that children actually do not fall into depression, however, of course this is a very wrong opinion. Children even more than adults can be depressed. How do you know that the child is in depression or stress? This is a question that many parents are interested in. Just because your child is sad or moody does not necessarily mean that the child is depressed or stressed, but when the depression is there and the sadness is not going anywhere and affects the daily life of the child then you can doubt that the child is in depression. The depression of child can have a negative impact on many things, such as the child’s performance at school, his attitude to siblings and parents, and also the activities he undertakes usually. If your child is really in depression, then do not panic, this is an illness but it is treatable.
First of all to know how to handle the child depression you need to know what the symptoms of child depression are.
Thus anger, continuous anger and hopeless mood, anger, changes of appetite, like the increase or decrease of appetite, changes in the amount of sleep the child takes, emotional outbursts, too much cries, reduced ability to function etc. all these are the signs of depression when it comes to children.
You have to be very careful when your child has one of these signs as the child depression can even make the child commit a suicide. So once you notice these signs in your child’s behavior than make sure you do not overlook this issue, and are ready to take some precise steps to overcome the depression and to handle it.
The treatment options for children are usually the same as that of the adults. To treat your child from depression you can use psychotherapy or medication. First you need to take your child to psychotherapist and after the treatment or during the treatment she or he may suggest antidepressant. This will not be of great use, unless the child is not attending the psychotherapist. Antidepressant can just help from one side, but not more than that. The children most often witness depression at younger age, but there are also too many mood changes in teenage years. Studies show that depression and other illnesses are strongly interrelated. If you once fell into a really strong depression then it is very likely that there is a big chance the child will get an illness later in his or her life.
So how can child depression be handled besides the psychotherapy and antidepressants or mood-stabilizers?
- In reality you cannot do much without psychotherapy. If the child is taking the psychotherapy, then you can somehow help him or her first of all by showing you love, care and attention. It is really important for the children to know that you love them, and care about them. Do not miss the chance to show how much you love your child.
- Be tolerant towards the child while he or she is in depression. You should be tolerant towards the child, even when he or she does something wrong or misbehaves just be tolerant, this will go away.
- If there are some family quarrels then stop them. Create the full stabile atmosphere of peace and stability at home, where everyone respects each other and where no on shouts at the other one. This can also be really helpful.
- More than ever try to take your child out, to do some fun things, like movie watching, skating, skiing, take the child to pool or anything he or she likes. You can even organize a cool party at home and invite the child’s friends. This will also help the child to handle the depression easier and to overcome it earlier.
- If there are some issues that make the child be depressed, then try to solve these issues. If they cannot be solved then just tell the child that everything will be fine and let him or her focus on positive things. Talk to child more and show that you really understand him or her.
- The next and one of the most important things you can do is to show that you are proud of the child. Never let him or her think that he is a loser, and he cannot reach a thing. Just the other way encourage the child and let him or her feel that you are proud of them.
As you can see the child depression can be handled, but it is not an easy thing to do. Just follow the tips mentioned above and remember that the physiotherapy is a must. In that case if you combine all the things mentioned above you will successfully overcome and handle the child depression.
