Children's depression and the mechanism of its trigger. The article will discuss the causes and signs of a depressed child, and will also suggest ways to deal with the blues. Childhood depression is a factor that should not go unnoticed by responsible parents. In this case, you should carefully look at the behavior of your child in order to avoid further negative consequences.
The mechanism of development of childhood depression
The triggering of mental health problems such as childhood depression has been fairly well studied by psychologists. In this case, we are talking about the following mechanism of its development:
- Serotin imbalance … Very often, it is this factor that begins to form a chain that further leads to the onset of depression.
- Dysfunction of neurotransmitters … They directly serve to connect nerve cells with each other, which makes the work of this system uninterrupted.
- Imbalance between braking and excitation functions … After the listed pathological stages, a similar thing occurs, which leads to the dominant process of inhibition.
The result of all that has been described is the beginning of the child's progressive depression. Psychologists in this case advise not to joke with the described things that can radically destroy the child's psyche.
Causes of depression in children
The sources of the voiced problem can be a variety of reasons. Depression in childhood begins with the following provoking factors:
- Heredity … In this case, the parents plant a kind of chronic fatigue gene in the child's body. Little attention is paid to this issue in vain, because heredity is an important component in the formation of any baby.
- Intrauterine pathology … It will be erroneous to say that the child's body begins to be exposed to risk factors only after his birth. Infections and fetal hypoxia can subsequently become a serious impetus for the development of childhood depression.
- Difficult family environment … Not every child will be able to calmly react to scandals between dad and mom. At the same time, a situation is likely when in an incomplete family the parent begins to actively arrange his personal life, infringing on the interests of the baby. The baby's soul is very often too vulnerable, so you should not experiment with it.
- Tyrant parents … Sadly it sounds, but sometimes the most terrible enemy for a child's unformed personality is precisely this factor. The reason for this may be the despotic nature of the parents, who, as it seems to them, are very successful in creating an ideal out of their child. As a result, they will not receive a perfect personality, but a crippled childhood fate. It also happens that parents simply do not know how to love. They themselves have traumas from childhood, they themselves had the same relatives. Therefore, there is no example of a loving family and the right relationship with a baby.
- Lack of parental attention … Excessive care can be an annoying factor for small individuals, but its complete absence is already a direct blow to the child's psyche. We like it when we are taken care of and loved, which is quite normal for every person.
- Not perception by the children's team … At any age, public opinion is important, because it often shapes our position in life. It is easier for an adult to avoid this, but it becomes problematic for a child to deal with non-perception by peers. Imaginary and real leaders in any community are a direct threat to immature individuals with a more subtle mental organization.
- Emotional shock … Grief, acute disappointment in loved ones become serious provocateurs of the onset of depression in children. In terms of their psychological development, they are not yet ready for such harsh life situations, which not every adult can withstand with dignity.
- Problems at school … Frequent change of educational institutions or conflict with some teachers can trigger the mechanism of depression in a child. School is a place where he spends a fairly large amount of time, therefore, troubles in it are a threatening factor in the described problem.
- Death of a pet … Cats, dogs, parrots and even fish are often very important in a child's life. In this case, the death of a pet can have an extremely negative effect on the state of the child's psyche, giving rise to the onset of depression.
- Chronic illness … We are all accustomed to the fact that in the children's team, our beloved child can pick up some kind of infection. Things are worse with a serious illness that prevents him from enjoying a happy childhood. At the same time, depression is a painful reaction of the body to what is happening.
Psychologists strongly recommend to be very attentive to the child's behavior in case there are provoking factors. It is the parents who are able to analyze the situation and find the causes of children's depression, notice the alarming signals of the beginning of the development of such a pathology in a son or daughter. Indeed, as with any disease, it is easier to prevent it in the beginning than to deal with the consequences.
The main signs of a depressed child
A child who is depressed is more difficult to figure out than an adult in a similar situation. However, there are signs by which it is realistic to detect the presence of this factor in children:
- An uncontrollable sense of fear … We are all afraid of something, but in adequate people this state has reasonable limits. A child in a state of depression is afraid of literally everything and everyone. He is especially tormented by thoughts of death, which he is unable to control.
- Unexplained mood swings … Many of us are prone to emotional outbursts, if it is not about phlegmatic people. However, an uncontrolled process in the form of laughter, which immediately turns into hysterics, should make any parent think.
- General sleep disturbance … In this case, there is a falling into extremes: the child's constant feeling of the need for sleep or a radically different attack - insomnia. At the same time, he is tormented by nightmares, which lead to fear of the onset of darkness and rest periods. The child ceases to see a positive moment in this and the natural human need for sleep, fearing to meet again with terrible visions in a dream.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome … Very often, due to insomnia, the student literally sleeps in the classroom, and the baby - in the kindergarten class. However, even with an excellent sleep in such a child, everything falls out of hand due to an exhausted body. Against this pathological background, depression can develop favorably, which can become chronic.
- Loss of appetite … This factor is another alarming signal about the onset of problems in the psychological state of the child. At this age, children should have a good appetite, which may have deviations solely in the form of unwillingness to eat certain foods.
- Feeling helpless … It is common for a child to often seek support from adults, but sometimes this behavior takes on an obsessive form. In children with depression, this feeling dominates over positive emotions, introducing an unformed personality into stress.
- Dramatic change in preferences … Everything that made the child happy before becomes an annoying burden during depression. Favorite hobby now brings not aesthetic pleasure, but complete rejection and obvious protest from the once docile son or daughter.
- The pursuit of solitude … Being alone is sometimes useful to sort out some of life's moments. However, deliberate self-isolation for a long period is an alarming signal that a child has problems with the perception of the world around him.
Remember! The signs of childhood depression are often subtle, but they can still be identified. You just need to take a closer look at your child, while saving him from mental trauma.
Features of the treatment of depression in a child
From all of the above, we can conclude that treating childhood depression is imperative. In this case, there are different ways and methods of dealing with such a scourge.
Treatment of depression in a child with medications
It should be immediately reminded to especially zealous parents that self-medication is strictly prohibited when it comes to a child. This kind of pampering with medications can make treating childhood depression dangerous.
An experienced specialist can, after examining a small patient, offer the following medications in the form of therapy:
- Fluoxetine … At the moment, it is the most gentle antidepressant that can actually be used in the treatment of children. However, it is not recommended to use it without a doctor's prescription.
- Citalopram … The sounded drug has a calming effect on the psyche of the child. All this helps to relieve depressed children of obsessive and dangerous ideas.
- Taking vitamins … It is no secret that vitamins must also be taken wisely so that a useful thing does not cause the opposite of the expected result. In this case, vitamin C has proved to be excellent, which must be consumed two grams daily. Complexes that include zinc and manganese will also help to improve the overall well-being of the child.
Psychological advice for dealing with childhood depression
Consider the psychological ways of dealing with depression in a child:
- Play therapy … Children always remain direct personalities, so they can be carried away by an unusual activity. Any experienced psychotherapist owns this technique, so it's worth a try.
- Family therapy … This method will help in the case when the causes of depression in a child are associated with a conflict situation between parents. Loving dad and mom should forget about their mutual claims to restore peace of mind in their child.
- Leisure organization … However, it should be remembered that the emphasis should be on the child's obvious hobbies. Parents' stories that their children do not like anything in particular are a pitiful excuse for careless educators.
- Straight Talk … It's time to finally hear your children, who sometimes go into silent screams about their problem. At the same time, it is also not worth going too far, turning heart-to-heart communication into interrogation with addiction.
- Love therapy … Someone will smile skeptically upon hearing the voiced, but we all want to be needed by someone. A child is a litmus test that absorbs the emotions of people dear to him. Love and only she will help your child overcome his depression.
Folk remedies for the destruction of depression in a child
Traditional medicine in this case will help a depressed child. It is worth using the following remedies recommended by our grandmothers:
- Soothing baths … A glass of raw material in the form of valerian roots, which are poured with half liters of boiling water, will be useful in this case. The infusion must be kept for two to three hours. The resulting substance, added to the bath, will give a wonderful soothing effect. Excellent help in the fight against depression in a child and water treatments using poplar leaves. They are prepared in the same way as the voiced recipe with valerian roots.
- Rubdowns … In a healthy body healthy mind. No one suggests at the same time freezing the child until it turns blue and deep faints. However, it will not hurt at all with a saline rubdown, which must be done every morning. In this case, you need to use not a pound of salt, but only a teaspoon of the substance per liter of water. Contraindications in this case are various dermatological problems that manifest themselves aggressively.
- Soothing decoctions … In this case, it is necessary to act extremely carefully so as not to cause allergic edema in the child. Steamed mint leaves are a great way to fight depression. A tablespoon of raw materials is poured with a glass of hot water. It is necessary to arrange such a tea party in the morning and in the evening to achieve maximum success. A good remedy in case of children's depression is a steamed collection of alfalfa, marshmallow roots with the addition of an apple. Three tablespoons of the sounded composition are poured with half a liter of water, insisted for half an hour and a grated apple is added. Drinking such a remedy in glasses is not necessary and even undesirable. A tablespoon of the received drug, used before meals, will be enough.
How to treat depression in a child - watch the video:
Childhood depression is not a reason for adult skepticism when it comes to the important welfare of their beloved children for parents. It often happens that the carelessness of busy dads and mothers can lead to hospitalization of the child due to a severe decline in mental strength. Ignoring the problem can not only break a fragile child's psyche, but also provoke an inexplicable development of physiological diseases. Only love and attention to your children will help prevent serious consequences.
