Depression in Children and Adolescents

Depression is a mood disorder (mood) that cause children and adolescents to feel sad or irritable to be a long time. A young person who is depressed, no longer enjoys school, and play with friends and may be lacking in energy or have other symptoms. As adults, symptoms range from mild depression to severe and one person to another. Depression can last a long time and may have a cyclic evolution, with periods of illness followed by periods without symptoms. Chronic depression, dysthymia and mild form called, occurs when a child feels defeated most of the time period of one year or more. Both the mild form and severe form of depression can be treated with efficiency.
Until recently it was believed that only adults suffer from depression, while children and teens do not. We now know that even young children can have serious forms of depression that require treatment for healing. However, symptoms of depression in children and adolescents are difficult to recognize. Symptoms range from abdominal pain and boredom can be confused with symptoms of other diseases. Many children and teenagers with depression do not receive proper treatment for the symptoms is not known. Variations of mood and emotional changes caused by depression can go unnoticed, considered unimportant or assigned normal growth.

Children and adolescents with depression and other disorders and often have anxiety, hyperexcitability similar behavior (hyperactivity) with attention deficit disorder, eating disorders and the serious process of learning and behavior problems (disorderly conduct). These symptoms may occur before being diagnosed with depression in children.
In the past, consider that depression is “all in the mind” and that a depressed person is able to recover by itself. Today we know that depression is an illness that requires treatment and is not a flaw or weakness. Childhood and adolescence can be difficult for children with depression and family members, especially when the disease is not treated. If untreated, severe depression may last a year or more. Severe or prolonged depression can cause problems such as difficulty in making friends with others and maintaining friendships, difficulties in school, drug abuse, suicidal behavior and other problems that may extend into adulthood. Have turned to professional help if your parents found this behavior in childhood depression.

Causes

Depression is considered to be an imbalance of certain chemicals called neurotransmitters that transmit messages between brain nerve cells. Some of these chemicals, like serotonin helps regulate mood. If these chemicals that regulate mood, cause imbalance in the brain nerve cells, resulting depression or other mood disorders. Experts do not currently have set up the neurotransmitter imbalance that occurs. They believe that this change can occur as a consequence of stress or disease, but it can occur without clear cause.

Risk Factors

Depression in family members: children and adolescents who have a parent with depression are three times higher risk of depression than do those whose parents do not have depression. Experts believe that both inherited family traits (genetic) and living with a parent who has depression may increase risk to the child’s depression.
Depression in children and adolescents may be due to stress, unresolved social problems and family conflicts. It may also be associated with trauma such as violence, abuse or neglect.
Children and adolescents who have serious medical conditions prolonged learning problems or behavior problems may be more easily depressed.
Some medications can trigger depression, such as steroids or narcotics for pain relief administered. Once the drugs are discontinued, symptoms usually disappear.

Factors that increase risk of depression in young

Several factors increase the risk of depression in young people:
– If a parent or an immediate family member has depression: it is the most important risk factor for depression (children or adolescents who have a parent with depression are three times more likely to be depressed)
– If they had a depressive episode, especially if the first depressive episode occurred at a young age
– If you have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy
– The presence of other psychiatric disorders, such as disorderly conduct or anxiety (anxiety, fear)
– Death of a family member or close friend
– Physical or sexual abuse
– Abuse of alcohol or drugs.

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