If you have ever asked yourself, “Is my child depressed,” you may want to take your child to their doctor to find out more information. There is a difference between your child having occasional mood swings and suffering from full-on childhood depression. Normal everyday emotions are normal in toddlers and are bound to occur. However, if their sadness becomes a daily thing, and it begins interfering with normal everyday activities, this may be an indication that there is something going on within them which needs to be checked out.
Symptoms of Childhood Depression
Many of the symptoms adults face when they are depressed can be seen in children too. This includes feeling sadness, hopelessness, and other mood changes. Some others include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
- Social withdrawal.
- Outbursts and crying.
- Changes in sleeping patterns.
- Changes in eating patterns.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Fatigue and low energy.
Keep in mind, this doesn’t necessarily mean your child is depressed if he is having a bad day and brightens up at the thought of ice cream, or if your toddler decides she only wants to eat cookies.
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, about 5% of children suffer from depression. Preschoolers as young as 3 years old can show signs of major depression as well. In fact, in an article from U.S. News, there is a child psychologiest at Montefiore Medical Center in New York who treats babies who have a “flat effect.” A “flat effect” in a baby reveals itself as lack of joy. A baby normally delights in things such as playing with parents, or playing with toys. One of these patients was an 8-month-old baby who displayed signs of depression.
Because it affects children differently at various levels of development, it can be difficult for a doctor to diagnose. Not to mention, depression is not usually the chief complaint of a child. It could show up as irritability, physical complaints, short-term memory impairments, hypersensitivity, inattention, forgetfulness, and/or separation anxiety.
What to Do if You Think Your Child is Depressed
Children with a family history of alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and physical abuse are at a greater risk of developing depression. If one or more of the above-mentioned signs exist in your child’s behaviour, please seek help with a child psychologist.
About Little Human Scholars School in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full-day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app called Toddlytic which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into its hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,
Jana Moreno