You said that your child has had two or more 2-week periods where s/he was sad or
irritable. S/he feels this way most of the day, nearly every day.
During these times you said your child has some of the following problems:
Crying
Doesn't want to do things s/he used to enjoy
Eats too much or too little
Has problems falling asleep or waking up too early
Has too little or too much energy
Feels worthless
Has little or no hope
Can't stay on task
Feels bad him/herself
Thinks about death
Thinks about hurting or killing him/herself
Your child may be having some trouble at home or other places because of his/her sadness.
For example, s/he may be having more temper tantrums or avoid other children. S/he may
be having problems getting along with you or other adults. Children who have these problems
often have something called Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent. Recurrent means that
your child has had more than one period of time when s/he was very depressed. 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.
