Depression in children is often not recognized, claims study

Various experts have emphasized how acceptance of depression is still age-specific in our society and how people don’t believe the condition exists or understand it. Parents and teachers may find it difficult to detect depression in young children, that can affect their social skills and academics, a new study shows.

Aishwarya Iyer | Updated: August 31, 2018 12:25 pm

The researchers believe that up to three per cent of children in 6-12 age group might be facing depression issues © Shutterstock

Depression is not for the young, is something that you may have heard a lot of times. Even as the disease is plaguing huge number of people in the globe, it is often under-recognized when it is found in children, says a new study.

If a new study is to be believed, parents and teachers often can’t recognize if their children have depression. According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, as many as 2-3 per cent of children aged between 6-12 might have a major depressive disorder. But parents and teachers face difficulties in recognising the signs depression in children.

The findings, appearing in the Journal of School Psychology, showed that children who show mild to severe symptoms of depression in second and third grades are six times more likely to have skill deficits, such as difficulties with social skills or academics, than children without symptoms. However, when teachers and parents were asked to rate a child’s level of depression, there was only about 5-10 per cent overlap in their ratings.

“Some people would view that overlap as the truth about a child’s well-being and areas of disagreement as errors, but we need to explore the possibility that each of them are seeing different aspects of children’s behaviour and mental health,” said Keith Herman, professor in the University of Missouri (MU), College of Education.

Herman suggested that mental health professionals could work with teachers and parents to identify depressive symptoms early by including self reports from children in mental health evaluations. “The gold standard for identifying children who might be at risk for developing depression later in life is to ask the children themselves,” noted Herman.

“However, even if a child doesn’t say they feel depressed, certain outward behaviours might provide clues to the state of the child’s mental health. It’s important for teachers and parents to catch these behaviours early to prevent long-term problems that occur with depression,” he said.

Signs of depression in children: Almost nobody can tell you that these symptoms should be exhibited by all children, however, you must know when you child recurrently, shows these signs:

Constant irritability or anger.
Social withdrawal.
Constant fatigue.
Feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
Constant feeling of sadness or hopelessness.
Sudden change in appetite: Increased or decreased.
Changes in sleep patterns: sleeplessness or excessive sleep.
Increased sensitivity to rejection.
Outbursts in terms of crying.
Difficulty in concentration.

(with inputs from IANS)

Published: August 31, 2018 12:19 pm | Updated:August 31, 2018 12:25 pm

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