Childhood Depression Treatment

Depression is a confusing and frightening condition, but it can be even more alarming when children are suffering from it. Parents desperately seek to find childhood depression treatment answers from doctors, counselors, and other clinicians. The good news is that treatment methods for this mental disability often work and children are able to manage their conditions so that they can live normal lives alongside their peers.

Depression Defined

• Mental health experts explain that depression is the condition in which an individual feels perpetual feelings of sadness. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its 2004 publication titled "Feelings Need Check Ups Too", states that: "Depression is a serious mental disorder that negatively affects overall functioning and may potentially lead to suicide". The same publication cites estimates of 3% of children and 8% of adolescents are suffering from depression in the United States.

Recognizing the Signs

• Parents and teachers are typically the first adults to recognize the signs of a child dealing with a mental health disorder. These signs include, but are not limited to: lethargy; lack of energy; perpetual sadness; problems with concentrating or making decisions; and perhaps an obsession with death. The symptoms can occur without an environmental trigger, or they can occur in children who have recently experienced a tragedy or trauma. Once the signs are recognized, mental health professional intervention is necessary. Physicians are qualified to confirm a parent's suspicions regarding a child's depression, but psychologists and psychiatrists are most qualified to provide a diagnosis and subsequent childhood depression treatment.

Deciphering a Diagnosis

• Once a medical professional qualified to diagnose childhood depression completes an analysis, a diagnosis will be provided. Often, parents and children are relieved to finally have an answer to the reasons for their difficulties. Mental health professionals should provide as much information as a family needs to understand the diagnosis. Treatment options are then presented and parents can decide which treatment is best for their child.

Types of Treatment

• Childhood depression treatment options vary based on the age and severity of the individual child's condition. Children suffering from depression because of the recent loss of a loved one may only need counseling for a specific time. Teenagers experiencing frequent thoughts of suicide may need both medication and counseling to help them learn to live with their condition. In Hold on to Your Kids, authors Gordon Newfeld, Ph.D., and Gabor Mate, M.D., state that, "Unprecedented numbers of children and adolescents are now being prescribed medications for depression, anxiety or a host of other diagnoses." Parents need not fear that their child is the only one needing an anti-depressant; medication is a common treatment that can drastically help a child suffering from depression.

  Once the signs of depression are recognized in a child, a qualified medical professional can complete an analysis and make a diagnosis. Parents and doctors can work together to determine the best childhood depression treatment option for the specific child or adolescent. With the childhood depression treatment options available, there is hope for children suffering with the debilitating condition.