You said that your child has had a time where s/he was sad
or irritable most of the day. You said that s/he felt this
way almost every day for 2 weeks or longer.
During this time you said your child had 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, Single Episode. These types of
problems are commonly referred to as "depression".
Preschoolers who are "being bad" may really be depressed.
Because they may not always seem sad, some parent or teachers
may miss the real problem.
Depression is pretty common in children. Children under a lot
of stress have a higher chance of getting depressed. Depression
tends to run in families.
Preschoolers with behavior problems may really be depressed,
but their caregivers mistake them for "being bad." Because the
youngster may not always seem sad, parents and teachers
may not realize that acting out or misbehaving is sometimes
a sign of depression.
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)
.
