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depression in children

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Q: Do You Know Young Children Can Be Suffering Depression Attack?
Just as adults can suffer from depression attack, young children also can be in depression. Depression in young children is not as common as teenage depression, but it is a big problem. Do you realize that even babies can suffer from depression?

As a baby, they are not old enough to express what their feelings are. So, they often show the depression in other ways and actions. They show the depression through sleeping and eating problems, failure to thrive, separation anxiety, social withdrawal or anxiety and dangerous behavior.

There are many causes that can be attributed to the depression in children. If your child is found in depression, but it isn’t the medical reason, you should seek out the reason and judge whether is the problem of your lives or genetics.

The most important is to look after your child closely. Are they growing and developing as they should be? Is he or she getting along with other children? If you find something unusual, seek help as soon as possible.

A: I’m not sure this is a question but thank you for the information, I plan to five it to all my friends with kids in cas they need it.

Q: Why are children 8 times more depressed today than in the 1930s?
According to a scientific study with controls, we have 8 times the frequency of children with serious depression as compared to children during the depression in the 1930s. Here are a couple theories:

Theory N: Children are over fed and under nourished today. The depression children had a plant based diet.
Theory E: Expectations of children are inflated in part because of mass media.

Do these theories make sense to you? What is your theory?

A: i believe expectations are higher
today teens are expected to make good grades, go to a good college, get a great job, and be independant
everyone wants to go to college, but college isn’t for everyone
ppl are unhappy bcuz they did what everyone else wanted them to do instead of figuring things out on their own!

Q: How would those from different view points (ie Creation/evolution) explain depression in children?
People are finally starting to recognise that children can and do suffer frm depression – I was just interested why people would think this happens as in children depression surely has a biological starting point, they arn’t experiened enough for it to be due to worldly pressure can they?

A: You are what you eat and the enviroment that you are surrounded by. And it is as simple as that. Some cultures have little or no depression.
We are spoiled Americans.
The healthy cultures that have been studied are the: Vilcambambas of Ecuador, Hunza of Kashmir, traditional Bulgarians, Abzekhastan of Georgia, Yucatan natives, Greek from Crete, certain Chinese and Japanese groups. All of these cultures have these dietary factors in common: plant-based, high fiber (over 34 grams/day), high complex carbohydrates (not simple sugars), calcium intake only half of that in the USA but no osteoporosis, low protein (high protein means a loss of calcium from bones), small amounts of dairy (generally fermented, e.g. yogurt), fish once a week (if available), meat only on occasion, low fat intake (less than 20%).

All of these cultures work outside, are moderate eaters, are happy, walk a lot, get up/down with the sun, are not envious of others, the old are respected and deemed useful, and use whole-virgin vegetable oils and whole grains. As such cultures move from poverty to affluence, the modern delicacies bring the diseases of civilization.

Q: How common is depression in children? What are some basic signs that a child might be depressed?

A: It is not that common in children but it is in teenagers. Children who are depressed usually have a rough home life or extremely low self esteem. It is really hard to tell when children/teens have depression because they usually try to cover it up.

Some signs:
-Major change in appearance (ex. female not caring how they look)
-Wanting to be in isolation (never wanting to hang out with friends, always wanting to be alone in room with tv or computer)
-Huge increase or decrease in appetite
-Sleeping all the time or hardly sleeping at all
-Being distant, neglecting friendships
-Grades fall for no reason

There are many misconceptions with depression. One is that the depressed child/teen cries a lot. Sometimes severely depressed teens become so distant and cold that they don’t. Also, like I said before, teens/children with depression tend to hide it. Another misconception, is that people tend to associate major depressive disorder in kids to emo like culture (black nails, eyeliner, black clothes) That has nothing to with it and sometimes (i’m not trying to stereotype) people like that say they are for attention.

I hoped I helped. I tried to answer without sending you a link.

Q: What can be done to help our children with depression?
I gather more children than ever are suffering from a mental illness. What can be done, in your opinion, to help them?
I am hugely encouraged by the positive answers so far, thanks.

A: Fewer working mums. Fewer marital breakdowns. More discipline. Less TV. Fewer computers and more real life. Bring back mortgage relief for couples. Tax couples together and give incentives for families to remain together.
Give children the opportunity to value the real things about us and understand and appreciate this world.

Q: How common is depression in adopted children – as adults?
I have a couple friends who were adopted as children.

But one especially has dealt with depression for years. He seems to bounce from counselor to counselor.

He’s been on Prozac for years, but has tried going off of it, only to find he really needed it.

He told me he hates his adoptiive mother, who’s now old and dying. He must be conflicted, because he does go visit her. He told me he does know who his birth parents were, and where his birth father lives but wouldn’t try to meet him because he wouldn’t want to deal with still more rejection.

He’ll create situations to alienate his friends. It’s as if it were a test to see who will stick with him in spite of his being obnoxious at times. Never married. Seems to pick relationships that have some “impossible” element from the start, whether distance, social background, values… whatever.

Is this the “norm” for those who were adopted as children?

What can his friends do to help without losing their own sanity?
As satisfying as it may be to have someone to blame, it’s not really useful. I would really like to know what positive steps my friend, and those of us who are his friends, can take to help him be less sad, if not actually happy.
OMG calyx156! You are my hero! You have given me so much insight, this is incredibly helpful! (So of course, to reward you, I accidentally thumbs-downed you, duh)
(and I have to wait four hours to pick a best answer…)
MissKathleen: Your sensitivity is whelming.

A: That parental/child bond is more important than any other bond, especially the mother/child bond, and when it’s broken or absent, awful things occur. I have a friend who adopted a sister and brother from the same family. She went into this w/ the best of intentions, to love and to give as much as possible to both of these children until the day she died, to make difference in their lives. She had to put her daughter into foster care when she was 15, I think it was, in an attempt to get this child the professional help she needed. Her daughter chronically and pathologically lied (and lied seriously, as in alleging that she was being abused by my friend, Mary Jane, to teachers and police). She stole, ran away from home, willfully damaged other people’s property, took drugs, drank from a very young age, shop-lifted, and became pregnant at 17 (while in foster care). She also made the lives of her foster parents and foster siblings MISERABLE. She has an almost uncanny level of what I see as criminal ability to manipulate people, even intelligent people, that borders upon the sociopathic. And yet I also really like aspects of her. For most people, having a baby at 17 is a disaster, both for the baby and the MOM. This, however, seems to be working out. I have never seen her work harder, be more reliable, be more respectful of her mother or brother, or other humans, or mature as rapidly and as profoundly as she has in the last year. Her brother is only a little better, but not much, and seems to be getting worse as he ages. He is at least able to hold a job two days a week where they love him. None of us who know him really knows why or how they love him so much (We think it’s b/c they don’t have to live w/ him), but we’re not questioning it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…” Both of these children came from a home where mom was a 16yo stripper, prostitute, alcoholic and drug addict and dad was an 19yo drug addict and thief. I believe that the boy suffers from an undiagnosed case of fetal alcohol syndrome and has an organic brain injury. No one is really sure what the girl’s problems originate from, but I really, really see Reactive Attachment Disorder going on w/ her. Their adoptive mother is one of the very sweetest, most loving, dear women I have ever known. In no way is their behaviour about their adoptive mom that I can see, other than the fact that a lot of women try to be their kids “friends” rather than their parent. I also see this exact same problem set w/ children in single parent families as this one is, and if she erred, it was on the side of loving them too much and being too nice. Much of their behaviour tho’, came to Mary Jane, with them and seems to me to be “inbred, and set up from the start”.

And so my answer to you, is YES! this can very much be the norm w/ adopted children. It’s kinda like the secret that no one talks about.

As far as what you can do, as his friends, I would say the following: Tough love. Don’t let him get away w/ any of his BS. Hold him accountable for every single thing he says, and every single thing he does. Accountability is the single most important thing in the life of an adult, and it’s hard for that to develop when the adult child’s very first experience w/ “adult accountability”, namely that he or she would not be abandoned or mistreated, didn’t happen. It can take lifetimes to work this sh*t out. Show him that you won’t except bad dog behaviour, but that that refusal to accept his crap does NOT mean that you all will abandon him. Show it, and SAY it to him, all day, every day. In many ways you will have to reparent him as he reparents himself. And here’s another clue. He PROFOUNDLY does NOT hate his adoptive mother, no matter what he says. He would NOT go to visit her if he hated her. It’s just an issue that she is the only person he feels safe enough to express his hatred and pain at mothers and women in general to and about. He quite literally has buckets and buckets of unworked out stuff and cannot find a way to make his peace with it or with the people involved yet. People like this need to be loved, perhaps more than any other kind of people. More hatred, disgust, abandonment, things not “working out”, or happening at all are the last things they need. He will need really strong friends in you all. Be that for him, but never coddle him, lie to him, or allow him to get away w/ shite that no one else in the adult world would ever be allowed to get away with. That’s all I can tell you. Blessings.

Q: Depression, Children and out of control?
This is going to be long so I apologize in advance! Basically I have a 3 year old daughter and I don’t feel like I deserve her. When she was a baby I was with her all the time, and played with her when she wanted and gave her attention 24/7, now she is 3 and more independent I tend to leave her with her toys/tv and I am on the computer or cleaning the house. This makes me feel so bad but I just cannot get motivated to make a huge effort with her. My partner (her dad) is here at weekends and he takes her out etc but I love her but I am struggling to be a good parent as I don’t feel well mentally. I recently do not care about anything, and have started chatting to guys (who I don’t really like) but as I am lonely in the day (daughter at school) I talk to. I am wasting money and don’t feel like I am me anymore. My mother has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, I “babysit” my sisters kids and my other sister has recently asked me to sit in all day with her husband (as he is ill) twice a week. I clean my mothers house when I can, and buy her things/visit when she needs, but I just don’;t care about anything or anyone anymore and I don’t know what to do..

sorry I did say it was long!

A: Do you feel as if your life is not your own? Perhaps you would benefit from saying ‘no’ I’m not able to do that , or its not what I what at the moment.
Twice all week all day with your brother in law is a lot to ask! If he is ill then suggest shes gets in touch with social services re home help or someone to come out to look in on him. Explain that you’re unhappy and the pressure is too much for you. People will take advantage only when we let them! Same goes for the babysitting – if it suits you and its playmates for your daughter then fine, but if not, be strong and say no, not today.
As for feeling bad about your own daughter, try to schedule time, so you take her out (staying in may not be good) just look at the trees and the cats, you don’t have to have somewhere to go – she’ll be learning and happy, and its fresh air and environment for you.
As for chatting to guys you don’t like, thats not healthy, its sounds like you’ve given up on yourself. You need to gain control over at least some of your life, you’re worth more! So stay off the guys, take up running or make sure you only do the housework in the day (not when little girl is home) and learn to love yourself again.
good luck

Q: Can noise cause depression in children?
If so, what type of noise would make a child depressed? & this is for an experiment for class…it will not actually be done..

A: Not depression, but possibly annoyance or fear. Depression is a much bigger thing than becoming sad from a noise. Depression is a disease that is caused from great unhappiness, stress, and many other things that lead to an overall feeling of being down all the time.

Q: If you are diagnosed with depression, are your children more in likely to be depressed?
I want to know if this is a heredity thing? Is this something that can be passed down? I have a family member going thru this and I don’t feel comfortable asking this at the doctor’s office.
The reason I am asking is because my fiancee is going thru this right now and of course we plan on having kids one day but I don’t want to make him feel akward in the doctor’s office asking. I am not ashamed of him at all but I know he will think I am thinking badly of him. I hope that makes sense.

A: I have a bi-polar condition. My nan clearly has it. Her children don’t. I am one of 6 and no-one else suffers. I have 3 children and I believe my son is showing the same patterns of behaviour, but they won’t diagnose as he is only just 11.

It may be hereditary, but so what? In this day and age, the likely hood is that most adults will suffer some form of stress or depression.

My first thought would be can you live with your fiance’s mental health problems as you don’t want to bring children into a traumatic family situation? Make sure you love him regardless – mental health can be hard on everyone in the home, not just the person who has it. If the answer’s a yes, then don’t worry about genetics.

Q: Is there any help for a single, low-income woman with depression and no children living in the home?
I need help! I have clinical depression, no insurance, no job, and no bank account. Does any place exist that can offer very affordable insurance for someone like me (general, mental, perscription, dental, and e.r.)? I also need help with finding an affordable yet competent counselor or theropist. I was going to my local mental health clinic, but the only real help I was getting was the medication, the counseling sucked rocks (was more confused with couseling than trying to figure things out on my own). I haven’t got a clue where to go or what to do. I’m not married, I can’t find a job, my sons don’t live with me, I live with my grandfather because I can’t afford to take care of myself let alone live alone, a lying jerk over-drafted my bank account and got me in so much debt that I had to cancel it, I have not one friend, and there is no one I can turn to for help in my family. If anyone can stear me in some kind of direction, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

A: You really need to contact your local health department. They may very well be able to help you with health concerns and they can also direct you to somewhere that can help with depression. Someone you can make appointments with to go and talk to them on a regulas basis. Both places work with low income/no income. Good luck. and really try contacting them. It helped me.

Q: is there a tv ad or musical video that talks about depression in children?

A: runaway love by ludacris feat. mary j. blige
Stole by kelly rowland

Checkout the videos on youtube.com

Q: History of Depression and having children?
I have a history of severe depression and an anxiety disorder. I still struggle and am on anti-depressants. I’m only 21 so don’t want children yet. But I definatly do one day, in fact I can’t think of anything I want more. But I’m worried that if I ever did have a baby, I would be being selfish. The genetic factors in mental health, coupled with whether I’d have to stay on anti-depressants through pregnancy and the high risk of post partum depression. It all seems impossible right now and I’m devastated.

Anyone have any advice or opinions for me? Or anyone who suffers with depression and has had children, I’d love to hear your experiences. Thanks in advance

A: My whole life I have felt I didn’t want kids, because I was pretty self-centered. I decided to start trying to get pregnant when I was 38 years old, and still worried about giving up my personal time for a little child. I was used to having cats that you could go out of town and leave a big bowl of food and water, and they would be okay without you.

I was taking Zoloft when I decided to start trying to conceive. I talked to my obgyn, and he said that it is best to stay on the antidepressants. The catastrophe that could occur if I was severely depressed was worse than any harm zoloft posed to the fetus.

I wasn’t happy with zoloft anyway, so I got it out of my system 2 months before trying to get pregnant.

I cried a lot, and yelled a lot during my pregnancy, but I don’t think it was anything out of the ordinary for a pregnant woman.

After giving birth, I did get really down, but not in the normal sense of crying….my problem was withdrawing, social phobias, lack of energy, and a really hard time bonding with the baby for several weeks. I also wrote a lot of suicide notes at around 2 months postpartum.

I found out that I had severe hypothyroidism, and that was causing depression too. I have been on thyroid meds since then and am a little better, but refuse to take antidepressants anymore.

With lexapro and zoloft, I felt so NUMB. Great…I didn’t feel sadness, but I also never felt happiness, elation, contentment.
NO FEELINGS at all. Now without the meds, I feel anger, sadness, but I also feel happiness and hope too.

My obgyn sat me down with my husband and told him to keep an eye on my moods….and to bring me to the hospital if I had any suicidal symptoms. Post partum depression can cause you to hurt yoursef or your baby or BOTH, without much notice, so I would say you need to really be aware of your actions.

At 21, you will be selfish….Kudos to you for being aware of that, and choosing not to get pregnant for the baby’s sake. (You know, that is actually self-less what you have said, and is a good sign that you will probably be a very considerate, thoughtful parent)

As for giving up personal time for an infant/child, you just do it if you love your baby. You realize that they are an extention of you, and you take them wherever you go. They aren’t an inconvenience….they are a blessing, and you just learn to incorporate them into your life..(or learn to incorporate yourself into their lives…lol)

My mother’s side of my family ALL had bipolar disorder, drug addictions, alcoholism, eating disorders…they are a real mess. I believe I have received a few of those family traits, but rarely drink because of my fear of becoming an alcoholic, and definitely don’t use drugs.

Probably by the time you decide to have kids, medicine will be so advanced that you will feel great.

Congratulations on being such a SMART and conscientious girl. When it is time for you to have a baby, you will do a great job.

Q: Depression in children?
Does anyone know if children as young as 5 or 6 have ever been correctly diagnosed with depression? I would like either educated or experienced opinions/facts if anyone has any.

A: Yes children as young as 5&6 can have depression. I know this from personal experince. My 7yr old son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5. I saw more than just hyper activity in him. I saw anger and telling me people dont like him , him crying. Come to find out my son has Bi-Polar disorder along with me. The best thing to do is take your child to see a child psychologist.

Q: Anyone know infromation on depression in children?

A: The link below is good and informative

Q: Depression in Children?
Does anyone have knowledge or experience with depression in children?

And possibly bipolar disorder?

Around the age of 10.
Please let me know, I’m seeking more information about real life experiences. I’d like to talk to someone about it. (In case you’re wondering it’s not me….I’m not 10)

A: At 10 it is impossible to diagnose as bipolar as their mind and personality is still developing. I would say that it is possible they could be experiencing depression, but this could again be hormone changes or maybe something is bothering them which they feel they cannot talk about. Take them to the doctor who can advise more.

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