How to Screen for Childhood Depression

Only a physician or mental health worker can diagnose depression in your child; however, there are ways to screen at home if your child is showing signs of depression. Depression is very rare with children under 6 years old. Tests are only available for kids 7 years and up. Be aware that the physical symptoms of depression (insomnia, tiredness, pain, etc.) often appear first, and the language difficulty often makes it hard to assess feelings accurately.

Things You'll Need

• Pediatric Symptoms Checklist (PSC)
• Reynolds Child Depression Scale
• Children's Depression Inventory
• Family medical records

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Instructions

• 1

  Learn the symptoms of depression in children. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) lists the following symptoms as evidence that a child should be screened by a professional: antisocial behavior, decreased social performance, withdrawal from social activities, noticeable weight gain or loss, substance abuse, aggression, and irritability. If your child is noticeably experiencing 2 or more of these symptoms, set up an appointment with your family physician immediately.

• 2

  Acquire resources. Self-screening materials are available online and at bookstores. The Pediatric Symptoms Checklist is an available tool for parents to screen children for psychosocial problems, including depression. It contains 35 questions and can help you understand if further assessment is necessary. Checklists which are specific to children's depression are available for purchase, such as the Reynolds Child Depression Scale and Children's Depression Inventory. These resources are written at a first-grade reading level, so they are accessible for young children.

• 3

  Ask for feedback from those who spend a significant amount of time with your child. Teachers, counselors, coaches, babysitters, grandparents and other children can provide valuable feedback about behaviors that you may not witness.

• 4

  Look for signs of depression in your family history. Patients who are diagnosed with major depression during childhood often have a family member who has suffered the same diagnosis. Adolescents are less likely to have a family correlation.

• 5

  Talk to your child about her emotions. Feelings are often difficult for children to convey. Get in the habit of discussing how an event or situation made your child feel (i.e., at bedtime each evening, recap the day's events and encourage your child to use feeling words such as "sad," "angry," "frustrated," or "annoyed").

• 6

  Have your child perform one of the checklists you researched in Step 2. The test answers will indicate whether or not further evaluation is necessary. If so, set up an appointment with your family physician and bring the test with you.