You said your child is sometimes sad or irritable. His/her sadness lasts anywhere
from a few days up to 2 weeks in a row. You said these problems may have been happening as
often as once a month for one year or longer. They may have only happened once, but were pretty bad.
In addition to feeling sad, you said your child has had some of these other problems:
Crying
Doesn't want to do things s/he used to enjoy
Eats too much or too little
Problems falling asleep or waking up too early
Has too little or too much energy; Bored a lot
Temper tantrums
Feels worthless
Has little or no hope
Can't stay on task
Seems angry or upset a lot
Feels bad him/herself
Thinks about death
Thinks about hurting or killing him/herself
Your child's sadness may be causing big problems for him/her at home or preschool/school.
For example, s/he may keep to him/herself too much or not want to do things with other
children. S/he may be having problems getting along with you or other adults. Children
who have these problems often have something called a Depressive Disorder. These types
of problems are commonly referred to as "depression".
Depression is pretty common in children. Children under a lot of stress have a higher
chance of getting depressed. Children who have been depressed more than once may get
depressed again. Depression tends to run in families.
