Things you must understand about your child’s Depression
Most of us live under the impression than depression is a disease. However, it is only a collection of symptoms and signs whose reasons may vary greatly. Like all pneumonia are not caused by the same thing (i.e., the infection can be due to fungi, tuberculosis, or bacteria- all treated differently.) Similarly, depression takes many forms and sets in due to many different reasons. Therefore, for any parent, it is important to go into the details of the child’s depression to uncover root causes.
Depression is not caused by chemical imbalance: depression can be a combination of social stresses (such as, family tensions, isolation, etc.), diet, hormonal issues, drug abuse, and psychological insecurities intermingling with epigenetic and genetic vulnerabilities. Although medications do have a role in treating the problem, especially in severe cases—it is very rare for depression to be a result of a “chemical imbalance”.
There is nothing “normal” about teens or young children being depressed. According to experts, there is no such things as “normal amount of depression”. When you define depression as a bump made up of problems in mood, appetite, sleep patterns, social activity, and motivation, which lasts for many days, it becomes evident that normal teen ‘anger’ can be present without such symptoms. The child’s developing brain is re-wiring constantly, depending on the type of environmental inputs he or she gets: what and who the teen is exposed to, translates to what identity they will form. A childhood of depression will shape the child’s identity, and influence life choices.
It is important for parents to be sympathetic towards the child’s problem and deal with it accordingly. It is always a good idea to seek professional help and support the child during the process so that he or she can get out of it as soon as possible. Also, homeschooling is a great way to give a depressed child the right enviroment to grow.