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Most children experience days when they are unhappy, lonely, or depressed. However, if your child appears continuously unhappy or hopeless, and it is interfering with relationships, they may be suffering from childhood depression, a significant mental health issue that requires medical evaluation and treatment.
The presence of sadness, loneliness, or irritability in a child does not imply the presence of childhood depression. Childhood depression is characterized by continuous unhappiness. When this happens, the child feels alone, hopeless, helpless, and unimportant.
When this form of grief lasts for an extended period, it affects every aspect of the child’s life. It affects the child’s normal activities, schoolwork, and social relations. It can also have an impact on each family member’s life.
According to studies, 10% to 15% of children and young adults have some form of depression at any point in time. A child is more likely to suffer from childhood depression if they have a family history of depression, particularly if a parent suffered from depression at a young age. When a child suffers from serious depression, he or she is more likely to develop another depression within the next five years.
Various traumas can occur to children during their childhood. Childhood trauma can occur in numerous ways.
- Having a serious condition that necessitates surgery and hospitalization
- Experiencing domestic violence
- Being present at a horrific event
- Abuse, either physical or sexual
- Being subjected to severe bullying
Depression has been strongly linked to childhood trauma. The consequences of child depression are many, and they vary depending on the event and the child. If a child comes from a household that does not provide a sense of security and safety, that child may develop coping strategies that able to work day to day just to survive.
Childhood depression can lead to substance use disorders, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health problems in adulthood. This childhood depression can follow a person into adulthood, causing feelings of shame and guilt, disconnection and inability to relate to others, difficulty controlling emotions, heightened anxiety and sadness, and aggression.
Children who have been abused are more vulnerable to developing stress and anxiety later in life. Long-term stress and anxiety can lead to physical symptoms as well as emotional problems later in life. These children learn to adjust by suppressing their feelings and making waves. They are concealing their fear, rage, and unhappiness.
Several adult attachment disorders can emerge in the case of a child who has been abused by a caregiver or a parent. Dismissive-Avoidant Attachment, Fearful-Avoidant Attachment, and Anxious-Preoccupied Attachment are examples of these
Childhood depression tends to reoccur in episodes. Recovery from childhood depression can occur on its own. However, once a child has experienced one episode of childhood depression, he or she is more likely to experience it again. Without therapy for childhood depression, the long-term effects of depression can be severe.
The severity of this childhood depression increases with the age of the child. As such children become adults, they will be more severely depressed.
The good news is that with psychotherapy and medication, healthcare practitioners can effectively identify, treat, and manage mental health conditions such as childhood depression and adult depression.
A great number of clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of depression drugs in alleviating the symptoms of childhood and adult depression. Typically, the drugs include a mood stabilizer (such as lamotrigine or lithium), occasionally in combination with an antidepressant.
References:
- Alexa. (n.d.). “Childhood Trauma And Its Relation To Chronic Depression In Adulthood”. Retrieved from Pubmed.gov:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4677006/
- Daniel. (n.d.). “History Of Child Abuse And Severity Of Adult Depression”. Retrieved from Ojp.gov:
- Jenneke. (n.d.). “The Importance Of Childhood Trauma And Childhood Life Events For Chronicity Of Depression In Adults”.Retrieved from Nih.gov: