In yesterday’s blog I shared some striking statistics about childhood and adolescent depression, including the fact that left untreated it often becomes life-threatening.

Several of you wrote to say that it’s hard to know if your child is depressed or just being a kid. To help clarify, consider these 12 questions:

DOES YOUR CHILD…

1.  Often seem sad, tired, restless, or out of sorts?

2.  Spend a lot of time alone

3.  Have low self-esteem?

4.  Have trouble getting along with family, friends, and peers?

5.  Have frequent outbursts of shouting, complaining, or crying?

6.  Have trouble performing or behaving in school?

7.  Show sudden changes in eating patterns?

8.  Sleep too much or not enough?

9.  Have trouble paying attention or concentrating on tasks like homework?

10.  Seem to have lost interest in hobbies like music or sports?

11.  Show signs of using drugs and/or alcohol?

12.  Talk about death or suicide?

If you answered yes to four or more of these questions and the behaviors last longer than 2 weeks, you should seek professional help for your child. Start with an appointment with your family doctor and get a referral to a respected mental health practitioner in your community.

Don’t wait!

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 9:55 pm and is filed under Depression, Mental Health, Parenting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.