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Childhood Depression:

Do you know that the most common symptoms of childhood depression are not what most people think. Parents often associate depression with symptoms like extreme sadness, crying, and withdrawal ... the kinds of behaviors we think of when we think of depression in adults.

But, many children react differently to depression than adults. The most common signs of childhood depression are anger, irritability, aggression, and sleeping and eating problems. Even worse, too often what's driving your child's depression if left untreated can also lead to self-medicating ... substance abuse.

Does your child seem angry too much of the time? Does he or she seem to go raging out of control over seemingly insignificant events? Do they get into fights a lot or challenge the teachers at school? Are simple requests or rules answered by screaming, throwing or hitting things? Does your child want to stay up all night and sleep all day? Are they eating too little or too much? Do you suspect they're using drugs or alcohol? If so, then depression may be part of the problem.

What can be done about it?

Counseling can help ... or a combination of counseling and medication. Understanding what a child is depressed about and changing either what's happening or how they're looking at it can make a big difference. Sometimes just their being able to talk about it with someone who's not as emotionally involved as a parent can help a child feel a lot better about what's going on in their life.

Does the word "drugs" scare you? Don't let that get in the way of considering medication for your child. The new antidepressants are not like the old style antidepressants. The new ones, called SSRI's, are non-addictive and won't turn your child into a "zombie." In certain situations, if it looks like counseling won't work alone or quickly enough, we can refer you to a good child psychiatrist who will be very careful about the medications they prescribe for your child. We never advocate medications, but our ethics require that we provide you with as much information as you need to make good choices for yourself and/or your child.