Depression


What is Depression?
It's natural to feel sad, down, or discouraged at times. We all feel these human emotions, they're reactions to the hassles and hurdles of life. We may feel sad over an argument with a friend, a breakup, or a best friend moving out of town. We might be disappointed about doing poorly on a test or discouraged if our team can't break its losing streak. The death of someone close can lead to a specific kind of sadness — grief. Most of the time, people manage to deal with these feelings and get past them with a little time and care.
Depression is more than occasionally feeling blue, sad, or down in the dumps, though. Depression is a strong mood involving sadness, discouragement, despair, or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer.
Depression is one of the most common yet underidentified mental health problems of childhood and adolescence. Left unidentified and untreated, depression can have pervasive and long-term effects on social, personal, and academic performance. When school personnel know how to identify and intervene with children who have depression, they can provide them with opportunities for effective support.
Depression is not easily recognized or may be mistaken as another problem, such as lack of motivation. Although severe depression might be displayed in symptoms such as suicide attempts, severe withdrawal, or emotional swings, the vast majority of cases are much milder and do not attract attention from adults. Moreover, children and adolescents are not as likely as adults to refer themselves for mental health problems.
Source Credit: National Association of School Psychologists and Nemours


Signs of Depression
Children and adolescents can demonstrate depression in cognitive, behavioral, and physiological behaviors or patterns. Although not all children will show all signs, or the signs may vary in frequency, intensity, and duration at different times, a persistent pattern over a relatively long time is likely to be associated with a variety of personal, social, and academic problems.


Cognitive

    • ‘‘All or none’’ thinking

    • Catastrophizing

    • Memory problems

    • Concentration problems

    • Attention problems

    • Internal locus of control

    • Negative view of self, world, and future

    • Automatic thinking

    • Negative attributional style

    • Negative affect

    • Feelings of helplessness

    • Feelings of hopelessness

    • Low self-esteem

    • Difficulty making decisions

    • Feels loss of control

    • Suicidal thoughts

Behavioral

    • Depressed mood

    • Social withdrawal

    • Does not participate in usual activities

    • Shows limited effort

    • Decline in self-care or personal appearance

    • Decreased work or school performance

    • Appears detached from others

    • Crying for no apparent reason

    • Inappropriate responses to events

    • Irritability

    • Apathy

    • Uncooperative

    • Suicide attempts

Physiological


Effects of Depression
On Academic and Social Performance
Children and adolescents with depression experience significant academic and social difficulties. Children who have depression are much more likely than their peers to have difficulty concentrating, completing assignments, paying attention, participating in class, achieving at grade level, feeling academically competent, persisting on tasks, and feeling motivated to perform. Socially, depressed children are more likely to be withdrawn, experience social skills deficits, and derive less enjoyment from their surroundings. To others, they may appear to be uninterested in school or to deliberately choose to show these behaviors. Children and adolescents who are depressed generally want to be successful academically and socially, but lack the ability and motivation; they are not choosing these behaviors.


Depression and Suicide
A small proportion of depressed students show serious thoughts of planning or attempting suicide. Although the risk of suicide is higher with depressed students, the vast majority of them do not attempt it. Nevertheless, any signs of suicide should be taken seriously, even if they appear to be meaningless gestures.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call a Suicide Hotline at:
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or
1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)


If someone is actively suicidal, do not leave them alone. If you are not able to stay with him/her, arrange to have someone else stay with them. For more information on the topic of suicide and suicide prevention, see our page entitled Suicide Prevention.


Adapted from SAMHSA, NASP | 2020


Disclaimer: The links below are purely for educational and entertainment purposes and are not intended as psychological interventions or as a substitute for psychological treatment. If you are in need of psychological help you should seek the consultation of a licensed mental health professional.