Depression is one of the most common diseases, known since ancient times. People know that depression means depression and is related to being sad and unhappy. Depression is often considered a part of life and treatment is not sought. Approximately one fifth of people experience depression throughout their lives.
Childhood depression has been examined in the last twenty years and detailed information has been obtained as a result of research. Depression is seen only as an adult disease, and it is not taken into account that children can experience depression. Since the symptoms of depression seen in children are different from the symptoms seen in adulthood, there is a high probability of being overlooked.
Symptoms of inability to enjoy life and stagnation that occur in adults are not clearly seen in childhood depression. Instead, children mostly experience physical complaints, auditory hallucinations, and delusions.
While the prevalence of depression in preschool children is 3 per thousand, it is 4 to thirty per thousand in school-age children and 4 to sixty-four per thousand in adolescents. A child who has been depressed once is more likely to be depressed again. Depression reduces the child's self-confidence and increases his sensitivity to distressing events.
Causes of Childhood Depression
The best-known biological cause of depression is the deficiency of serotonin and some other substances. The hereditary factor also plays an important role in the emergence of depression. Seeing only the negative aspects of events, hopelessness, seeing oneself as inadequate, and perfectionism also make children and adolescents prone to depression. Disagreements between spouses and disagreements within the family can cause the child to become depressed. Not sharing a sad event that happened to a family member to other family members can cause depression. Divorce of parents or loss of a family member can trigger depression. Children who are exposed to violence or sexual abuse are more likely to experience depression. Apart from physical and sexual abuse, depression can also occur in children who are subjected to emotional abuse. Threatening, humiliating, a child Severe criticism is considered emotional abuse. Additionally, physical or emotional neglect of the child may also cause depression. Not taking care of the child, depriving them of nutrition, clothing and cleaning opportunities, and not paying attention to their safety can be given as examples of physical neglect. Not giving the child enough love and attention and allowing the child to use alcohol or drugs are considered emotional neglect.
Symptoms of Childhood Depression
Although the basic symptoms of depression are the same, some symptoms may be seen more or less frequently at some ages. Children who are depressed may not appear sad even if they say they feel sad. They look more restless. Children who suddenly become depressed experience changes in their behavior, mental state, relationships with the environment, and school success, and depression manifests itself in this way. Since the symptoms of a child who gradually becomes depressed will appear over a certain period of time, the child's behavior can be described as bad temper or incompetence. While feelings of guilt, hopelessness, future concerns, lack of enjoyment of life, delusions, and mental and physical stagnation are more common in adolescents, physical complaints (nausea, abdominal pain, headache) are more prominent in children. In the preschool period, symptoms of not smiling, not showing interest in activities, crying easily, and aggression are observed. Symptoms of estrangement from peers, reluctance to go to school, decrease in academic success, and aggression are more evident in school-age children.
Symptoms of depression seen in children are diverse. Decrease or loss of interest, tiredness, exhaustion and lack of energy, anxiety, anxiety, irritability and irritability, unhappy and sad mood, tearfulness and crying spells, aggressive behavior such as damaging belongings, thoughts of death, suicide ideation or attempt, running away from home, Difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions, sleep disorders, decrease in school success, not wanting to go to school, introversion, wetting the bed at night, defecation, hopelessness and helplessness, feeling alone, decreased self-confidence, self-hatred and self-confidence. don't get angry, don't feel ugly Various physical complaints such as slowing down of thinking, thinking that no one loves him/her, decreasing or increasing appetite, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, muscle or joint pain are the main symptoms. However, the importance of genetic transmission in the formation of depression should also be taken into consideration. Having depression in the family affects child depression through genetics, identification and learning. It is thought that there is a particularly strong relationship between maternal depression and child depression. Environmental stressors also have an impact on depression. A child who experiences a major loss, such as losing a parent, is likely to become depressed. Changes such as living with step-parents and economic difficulties that occur with the loss may also trigger depression.
Possible Effects of Divorce and Other Variables on Child Depression
Many studies show that children of divorced families have full health problems. The family showed that they were less happy than their children. The well-being of children who see their estranged parents frequently is higher than the children who see their estranged parents less often.
The conflict between parents before and after the divorce negatively affects the child's well-being (Amato, 2001).
A study conducted on 1,197 children in America revealed that children from divorced families experience more problematic behavior and psychological distress than children from intact families. In the research conducted on 365 students, it was seen that the students' depression levels differed significantly according to their socio-economic level and the number of siblings they were.
117 children aged 9-13 living in Izmir whose parents were divorced and 127 children whose parents were not divorced. In the study where the child was selected as a sample, a significant difference was found between the depression scale scores of children whose parents were divorced and those whose parents were not divorced, depending on the frequency of seeing the mother or father with whom the child lived. In the study consisting of a total of 800 students from 7th and 8th grades, gender There was no difference between depression levels according to . While the mother's working status did not affect the depression level, a significant difference was found between the depression levels of students whose fathers did not work and those whose fathers worked. It has been observed that the number of siblings and the number of children in the family do not make a significant difference in depression levels.
Conclusion
Depression in children, just like in adults, affects their lives greatly and causes a decrease in their functional levels. It is something that needs attention. Not every sadness, anger, or physical complaint can be considered depression; It is important to seek expert opinion and receive psychological support, taking into account the emotional and behavioral changes seen in the child, the duration and frequency of these changes.
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