You said that your child is sometimes sad or irritable.
S/he may ask to be alone or spend a lot of time alone
in his/her room. Your child may seem sad or feel bad
about him/herself because of some failure. It is normal
for your child to feel sad about getting bad grades or
not making a sports team. If a loved one has recently died,
it is normal for your child to feel upset for up to
2 months.
Warning signs that things are getting worse:
Your child often feels guilty about things
that are not his/her fault.
Your child often has thoughts about
death.
Your child says s/he feels
worthless.
Your child is sad or irritable most days,
for several weeks in a row.
Your child is still sad about the loss of
a loved one more than 2 months after the
death.
If you think your child's sadness is getting worse tell
your doctor even if you have discussed this before.
Adapted in part from the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care
(DSM-PC) (1996) .
