Childhood depression is one such thing that has turned into a very common affair these days. It can affect any child and co exact age group is mentioned for these occurrences. When it occurs, the child can undergo physical, mental and behavioral changes. Another very distinct symptom of depression is frequent mood swings. It is a very persistent change that can occur to any child who lacks the healthy compatibility with his surroundings. Parents mostly do not pay heed to such things and scold the child for being naughty or restless. If you see such signs in your child like irritability, lack of sleep, loss of interest in food, studies and even games then you must start handling these changes with more care and patience. As the stage of depression advances you will also find you child showing signs of lethargy, loss of concentration, headache and stomach pain. If these are not stopped at the beginning then it can lead to more serious problems; he may develop a tendency to hurt himself. On refusal of any kind he may even try to attempt suicide.
Types and Stages of Childhood Depression
Though there is no definite rule as to the distinction in which this can be divided, but still the psychologists who deal with such cases have categorized it in three stages only for their better understanding. The stages are mild, moderate and severe. But it would be good to consider these classifications as stages rather than types. Reactive depression can be taken as one type where the depression occurs as a result of some kind of stress like passing away of a loved one or failing in exams. Another type is totally psychotic. It is mainly related to illusion like irrational believes, bizarre thoughts that are sometimes incredible to handle and hearing voices that actually does not occur. This chronic diseases can be either be recurrent or in single episodes.
How to Fight Childhood Depression
Medication has not shown much efficiency in the matter of stopping childhood depression. Once it reaches a higher level it becomes more difficult to eradicate it. So parents should always try to stop its advancement in the very first stage. Various researches have shown that different kinds of anti-depressants and strong medications tend to increase the self-harm risks in the kids. Prescribed drugs may also give rise to certain physical disturbances in the long run. A child suffering from depression most importantly needs the love, care and support of his family members.
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