It’s fairly typical for children and teens to experience bouts of sadness and mood swings. However, clinical depression, a serious form of depression that affects most or all aspects of a sufferer’s life, is increasing among children and teens. It is believed that as many as five percent of people under the age of 18 suffer from clinical depression during their childhood or teen years, a significant increase from just 20 or 30 years ago.
Children and teens suffering from clinical depression, which can be caused by a chemical imbalance, a traumatic event or physical health issues, often exhibit several of the following symptoms:
- Irritability or anger
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Incessant feelings of sadness, hopelessness
- Increased anxiety, tension or panic
- Pessimism
- Vocal outbursts or crying
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of interest in activities at home or with friends, in school, extracurricular activities and in other hobbies or interests
- Heightened sensitivity to rejection
- Significant increases or decreases in appetite
- Noticeable changes in sleep habits — insomnia or excessive sleep
- Fatigue and sluggishness
- Restlessness, agitation and increased fidgeting
- Difficulty concentrating
- Self-harm such as cutting or taking excessive physical risks
- Suicidal thoughts
If your child or teen is showing multiple symptoms of depression, we highly encourage you to seek help, as depression is easily treatable. At a Place of Hope, we offer whole-person treatment in depression, meaning we provide emotional, physical, spiritual and nutritional treatment for complete healing. To find out more about our childhood depression treatment program, please contact us today.