Do children also get depressed? Experts point out that children experience depression just like adults and emphasize the importance of timely intervention. Stating that problems that cannot be solved in childhood may become aggravated during adolescence, experts say, "A lazy child is a harbinger of unrest in the family. In a conflictual environment, the motivation and success of the child decreases. Silence and introversion lasting longer than two months may be a harbinger of depression."
Expert Clinical Psychologist Leyla Arslan from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital said that children give depression away with their behavior and should be well observed and that early intervention is important.
She stated that children also get depressed, that different symptoms such as lack of energy, not wanting to do something are actually markers that reveal depression, and that it means the expression of a stressful situation for children.
Different depressions are experienced in four periods
Stating that children's depression can be handled in four different periods, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Leyla Arslan listed them as follows:
Child depression at the age of 0-2; Depression in this period is mostly related to the mother's depression. What are the developmental characteristics at 0-2 years of age? Children are in great need of their mother's attention and affection, the eye relationship she establishes with them, and it is very important that the child's requests are made on time, met on time, fed when hungry, diaper cleaned and this is done when the child needs it. Therefore, not meeting the needs of the child there in a coordinated way leads to the emergence of insecure attachment between the child and the mother. This insecure attachment then triggers feelings of unhappiness, insecurity and stress in the child. Some children cling to their mothers and cry a lot. In fact, meaningless crying in these young babies, clinging to the mother a lot, sometimes even crying while clinging to the mother, shouting when the mother goes away and not being happy when she comes back are signs of insecure attachment.
Delay in speech is a sign of depression
Child depression at the age of 2-4; If the child is depressed in the next stage, that is, in the period from 2 to 4 years of age, there is a slowdown in the child's development. For example, unstable speech or stuttering occurs. The age of 2.5 - 3 years is the period when speech development accelerates. Late development of speech can be a symptom of depression. As well as slowing down in speech in depression, the child also acquires toilet training late in this period. In this period, finger sucking and other behavioral problems also emerge. If a sibling is born at that stage, it is a reason for the child to be depressed. In other words, the child is affected by all the events such as conflict, tension and radical changes in the family. In other words, the child receives the same emotional effects that the mother and father experience. The arrival of a sibling at a time when the child thinks that he/she is very loved creates a very severe sibling jealousy. This in itself can be a cause of trauma. Depression is actually affected by trauma, anxiety, stress, conflicts within the family, all of these. When the child is young, they are affected by the mother's frown and not making eye contact, but at this age they are also affected by external events. Depression manifests as a behavioral disorder. It manifests itself as nail biting, thumb sucking or nervousness.
They don't want to go to school, bedwetting starts
Child depression at the age of 4-6; If the family does not notice the depression in the child after the age of four, that is, during the socialization period we call the play age, depression grows with the child. How does a lazy child develop? We can find the answer to the question in this age. Children between the ages of 4 and 6 do not want to play, do not turn to other children, do not cooperate. Children between the ages of 4 and 6 do not want to be separated from the family in kindergarten or primary school when they start school. In fact, the family is attached to the child at that time. In other words, they don't know what to do. The reason for depression in the simplest way is that the mother is confused between her role as a mother and her role as a wife or her professional role and cannot clarify them well. The problems experienced by the woman cause this; the woman's conflicts with her mother-in-law in the family, her conflicts with her mother-in-law, her conflicts about education, and all these different things come together and become overwhelming for the child. The child has relationship problems at school. He doesn't connect with the teacher, he doesn't talk to his friends. He is afraid of starting school and at this stage we hear the phrase 'I don't want to go to school' a lot. It makes him nauseous, he makes himself vomit. The child experiences regressions called regression; for example, bedwetting starts. A child who has just started school starts wetting his/her pants in the evenings even though he/she is toilet trained.
Laziness is caused by repressed anger
The family does not recognize depression in the child. They don't understand it because they don't take them to a child psychiatrist or psychologist and have them examined. It is thought to be a personality trait. If there is tension or conflict at home, the child does not want to do anything. What is called laziness actually stems from repressed anger. In an environment of constant conflict, no one does anything. The child is affected by this and does nothing and becomes lazy. In such a situation, the child's school success also decreases. Of course, studying, motivation or success cannot be expected in such an environment. Therefore, there is no lazy child, there is an inappropriate, conflictual family environment. When a child is brought in because he/she is lazy, we think that there is no peace in the family environment.
If the problem is not solved early, aggression increases in adolescence
Child depression at 6-11 years of age; Such problems can occur in the last part of childhood until the age of 11. Learning difficulties, oppositional defiant disorder may occur. These feelings do not remain as they are, if they turn negative, they continue negatively and continue to increase. Then this period is followed by adolescence. If the problems have not been solved until this period, the dimensions of aggression and anger management disorder increase more in adolescence. The child becomes more irritable. During adolescence, the child has difficulty in fulfilling the expectations of both the family and the school. In this period, there is both internal hormonal pressure and societal expectations. For this reason, depression in adolescence is seen to increase in children.
In fact, depression in adolescence can sometimes be developmental, meaning that the internal and external balance is disturbed in children. Only then the family gets help. In fact, depression develops slowly in the child, but when the parents are beaten by their child, they bring the child. There are very serious problems in this period, the parents cannot make the child do what they say."
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Leyla Arslan stated that severe things happen in the future due to the inability of families to recognize and take precautions in time and said, "Actually, the family needs to know this: The child does not do these behaviors willingly because this is depression. It has first turned into learning problems and then into a problem of defiance. And since appropriate attitudes are not developed, the family blames both themselves and the child, and then comes to us when they cannot get out of it."
Take the child's life energy into account
Stating that generally every stressful situation triggers depression a little, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Leyla Arslan said, "If the family does not know how to cope with this problem, if this situation cannot be discussed with the child, support from a specialist can be obtained. Some families expect a lot from their children. They send them to various courses and trainings. They do not take into account the child's life energy when they say that he should do this and that. It is necessary to allow the child to rest," he advised.
Tests that determine depression can be applied
Stating that the state of silence and introversion in the child should not last more than two months, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Leyla Arslan said, "After two months, it becomes a habit. Quality of life deteriorates. If the family has difficulties in their relations with the child and the child has difficulties in relations with the social environment, if there is a discrepancy with peers, the difference should be intervened immediately. First of all, there are tests that we use to understand what is happening in the child, whether there is depression or not. These should be done. School and family should be in cooperation. When a change is observed in the child, measures should be taken and a specialist should be consulted."