You said that your child feels sad, cries a lot, or feels hopeless. You also said that these problems
started after s/he began going through something stressful. This stressful situation is on-going.
The stressful situation may be one of the following:
Parents' divorce
Starting a new preschool/childcare
Serious on-going medical problem
Living in a dangerous place
All children have some problems when they go through something like this. Your child is
having a harder time than most. Your child may be having problems at home or other places
because of this. Children who have the problems that you reported often have an adjustment disorder.
Warning signs that things are getting worse:
Your child often feels guilty.
Your child says s/he often has thoughts of death.
Your child says s/he feels worthless.
Your child seems sad or irritable most days, for several weeks in a row.
Adapted in part from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996) and the American Psychiatric
Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (1994) .
