There is a growing awareness of the importance of mental health, both in adulthood and in childhood. For this reason, educational methods such as positive discipline are very much in vogue, as well as knowing how to identify certain signs that indicate that our children may suffer from a mental disorder derived from trauma.
Taking care of our children’s emotional well-being involves being attentive to any indication that they might be suffering from bullying, self-esteem problems, fears and phobias, or illnesses such as depression. This pathology is not exclusive to adults, but children and adolescents can also suffer from it. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.1% of young people between the ages of 10 and 14 and 2.8% of those between the ages of 15 and 19 suffer from depression.
It is important to emphasize that sadness and depression are not the same. While the first is temporary, the second is a disease that requires professional treatment and follow-up to remedy it. Therefore, we must know how to differentiate sadness from childhood depression.
Sadness is a natural emotion that all human beings feel. As a general rule, it responds to a specific cause, such as watching a movie with a tragic ending, failing an exam, arguing with parents or a friend at school. Likewise, it is a fleeting feeling, which lasts for a certain time and usually passes on its own, or by receiving the encouragement and support of the child’s loved ones, whether it is a while of games, pampering or making him his favorite dinner. In short, it does not harm the child’s quality of life, it does not interfere with his daily routine or his character.
In the case of depression, feelings of sadness are prolonged and persistent. They originate without there being a specific determining cause and do not go away on their own over time, but rather require the intervention of a professional. In addition, it harms the daily routine of the little one. Let’s delve into how to identify if your child has depression according to the most common symptoms and signs.
