7 minute read
CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION
When is it More Than a Bad Day? by Jan Pierce
All children have tough days. They get into fights with siblings, have problems at school and need some extra hugs for bad dreams or fears. That’s normal. But a small percentage of children are dealing with a much bigger health concern: childhood depression. It’s hard to imagine that a child of five or six may be carrying the burden of depression, but health professionals agree: 2-6% of children and adolescents suffer from major depression. Of these, 70% will continue to struggle with depression into adulthood.
1.
One of the reasons health professionals have under-diagnosed childhood depression is the fact that it looks different in children. A young person with depression may only seem irritable or moody. He or she may complain of general aches and pains, focus on negative patterns of play, perform poorly in school and burst out in anger or frustration. He may be disruptive. She may fail to make friendships or feel inappropriately guilty. Children may not have the language to explain the severity of their feelings.
Childhood depression negatively affects family relationships. The outbursts and lack of ability to enjoy life may be seen as behavioral issues needing firmer discipline. The cycle of failure and discipline can further damage the child’s self image and increase feelings of hopelessness. For unknown reasons more girls than boys suffer from depression. It can be triggered by stressors such as abuse or neglect, chronic illnesses, onset of puberty or losses such as a death in the family. Important studies on childhood depression began in the 1940’s when pediatrician Renee Spritz did clinical studies of institutionalized infants. The patterns of apathy, social withdrawal and “failure to brighten” when stimulated were the result of neglect. It was concluded that even babies can display depressed behaviors. It is believed that such early abuse and neglect can affect brain development.
Early diagnosis of childhood depression is very important. The most common treatments are Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and in some cases antidepressant medications.
Risk Factors for Childhood Depression
• Chronic illness • Female sex • Family history of depression • Hormonal changes at puberty • Neglect or abuse • Stressors such as poverty, death in the family, or divorce • Anxiety disorders or other conditions such as ADD/ADHD, autism, oppositional disorder
Symptoms of Adult Depression vs. Childhood Depression Adult:
• Depressed moods most of the time • Feeling sad, moody, empty, hopeless • Reduced interest or pleasure in life • Weight loss or gain • Insomnia or hypersomnia • Agitation or lethargy • Fatigue, loss of energy
Child:
• Depressed mood or irritability • Poor eye contact, sadness, “acting out” • Loss of interest in play settings • Failure to make expected weight • Similar to adult • Hyperactive • Disengagement from peers, frequent school absences 2.CBT focuses on educating both parents and children in healthier coping skills, positive problem-solving, conflict resolution, social and assertiveness skills and relaxation techniques. Parents are trained to have age-appropriate expectations for their children and are helped to develop nonjudgmental patterns of communication to support a better self-image. Other focuses may be on dealing with negative thought patterns, grief resolution and handling unsettling changes such as moves, loss of friendships, or divorces. One specific early intervention for parents and children is called Parent Child
Interaction Therapy. In PCIT parents are trained in nurturing their children and in limit-setting to enhance emotional development.
When parents have questions about their child’s social and emotional well-being, there are several ways to proceed. They can make an appointment with their family doctor and be referred to mental health professionals, preferably those with pediatric experience. Another starting point is with the child’s classroom teacher and the counselor at the local school. The sooner interventions are begun, the sooner negative patterns can be broken and the greater the likelihood that the child can move toward a happier daily life.
3.
BOOK BITES
OCT 2022
Blue Willow Bookshop
The Ghosts Went Floating
by Kim Norman (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux)
The ghosts went floating, one by one, so why don't you come join the fun? Trickor-treat with ghosts, skeletons, witches, zombies, and all sorts of cute and creepy creatures in this fun-filled Halloween counting adventure.
Eek Halloween
by Sandra Boynton (Workman Publishing)
There's a big round moon in a dark, dark sky. The chickens are nervous. Witches, wizards, robots, and an alarmingly enormous mouse (eek!) are prowling around town tonight, and it's up to the chickens to get to the bottom of it -- that is, if they can uncover their eyes long enough!
Pig The Monster
by Aaron Blabey (Scholastic Press)
Pig is the world's greediest pug, and on Halloween he is completely out of control, thinking up nasty tricks to play on people who do not give him the treats he thinks he deserves and never sharing with Trevor the sausage dog-until too much chocolate makes him really sick and he finally learns the error of his ways (again).
This Is The Way We Trick Or Treat
by Arlo Finsy (Random House Books for Children)
Children and grown-ups alike will enjoy singing along to the tune of 'Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush' as the characters put on costumes, trickor-treat, share candy with family, and much more.
If Animals Trick Or Treated
by Ann Whitford Paul (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux)
If animals trick-or-treated . . .what would they do on Halloween night? Owlet and friends would knock-knock-knock at nests, outside dens, and under a rock, promising a trick if they didn't get treats.
Spooky Witch’s Guessing Game
by Edward Miller (Random House Books for Children)
In this shaped board book, Spooky Witch is thinking of something, and children are asked to guess what it is based on the clues that are provided in the text and illustrations. Each time, readers are presented with several choices--some of which are silly, and only one of which is correct. The next page mentions the correct item and continues the game.
Creepy Crayon
by Aaron Reynolds (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Jasper Rabbit has a problem: he is NOT doing well in school. His spelling tests? Disasters. His math quizzes? Frightening to behold. But one day, he finds a crayon lying in the gutter. Purple. Pointy. Perfect. Somehow...it looked happy to see him. And it wants to help.At first, Jasper is excited. Everything is going great. His spelling is fantastic. His math is stupendous. And best of all, he doesn't have to do ANY work! But then the crayon starts acting weird. It's everywhere, and it wants to do everything. And Jasper must find a way to get rid of it before it takes over his life. The only problem? The creepy crayon will not leave.
Tales To Keep You Up At Night
by Dan Poblocki (Penguin Workshop)
Ignoring a handwritten warning from her grandmother, Amelia reads an old book she finds in the attic, and as elements from the stories begin to come to life around her, she realizes that she may be in a spooky story of her own.
Skeletina and The In Between World
by Susie Jaramillo (Roaring Brook Press)
Welcome to the in-between world, where the living go when they are fast asleep and where ghosts stay when they have unfinished business. Skeletina and her friends help visitors confront their fears and worries or see a loved one they miss.
Amelia Bedelia Scared Silly
by Herman Parish (Greenwillow Books)
In this special Halloween edition, which includes a recipe and a craft project to make at home, Amelia Bedelia and her friends enjoy some scary (and sweet) fun! This item is Returnable.
The Agathas
by Kathleen Glasgow (Delacorte Press)
Two high schoolers team up to investigate a classmate's death and discover that their small California town is positively aboil with secrets. Seething at the oddly lackadaisical response of local police to the disappearance of her former BFF on Halloween, 17-year-old Agatha Christie fan Alice Ogilvie enlists Iris Adams, her peer tutor, to launch an inquiry that not only bears immediate fruit in the form of a battered corpse at the base of nearby seaside cliffs, but leads to a veritable flood of obvious but conflicting clues and revelations that point to, and away from, foul play.
