How to deal with childhood and teenage depression Bad mood, fatigue, nervousness, rudeness or isolation, unfortunately, often become the companions of our children. There are a huge number of reasons for this - from problems with studying to falling in love for the first time. Can schoolchildren suffer from depression on the same basis as adults, when simple parental support is enough, and when is it worth contacting a specialist and how, in principle, not to miss the signs of depression in your child, VH looked into it together with medical psychologist Elena Litovchenko. SAD BY INHERITANCE Depression is the same disease as the others, along with sore throat or pneumonia, it has its own symptoms and does not occur without a reason. There is a common belief that depression is more of an adult problem. A condition that characterizes the lives of office workers stuck in hated and low-paid jobs, drowning in loans and mortgage bondage. In fact, children and especially teenagers can also become depressed, although not as often as their parents. – Preschool age shows depression in 2% of children. During puberty, depression occurs more often - on average, in one in ten adolescents, the specialist notes. This is due to a number of both objective and subjective factors. For example, the genes of “depressed” parents. – Depression addiction is hereditary, genes can cause depression in children. If one of the parents suffers from depression, then the offspring have a 3-4-fold chance of increasing this, explains Elena Litovchenko. Depression also occurs when the child has a traumatic experience and an unfavorable home environment. Those at risk are those who are physically ill, have been or are being abused, have experienced the loss of a close relative, or the divorce of their parents. According to the psychologist, simpler incidents, such as increased school stress, transferring to another school or moving, difficulties in establishing friendships and family quarrels and conflicts. A teenager’s excessive reaction to problems is associated with hormonal changes: the transformation of a child into a teenager is not painless. At this time, physical changes in combination with chemical processes occurring in the body cause causeless anxiety, restlessness and nervousness, and mood swings. Add to this the trials that befell everyone at the age of 12–16. For example, the struggle for status in class or bullying from classmates, pre-exam stress, unrequited love. Inflated expectations of parents, excessive care, or, on the contrary, inattention and indifference are also not beneficial. SOUND THE ALARM? Taking a close look at your child is an almost sure-fire way to find out about his problems, even if your daughter or son does not talk about them. This is especially true when it comes to conditions such as depression. – Here are some symptoms that should alert us: childhood sadness most of the time, lasting for many weeks. Headaches, stomach pains, fatigue for no apparent reason. Problems with sleep: the child sleeps too much or suffers from insomnia, spends a lot of time in bed, wakes up early unnecessarily, says Elena Litovchenko. – Emotionality: becomes whiny, tears for any reason. Irritability and frequent changes in the child’s mood (from usual standards). Loss of interest in school responsibilities, games or extracurricular activities, worsening school performance. Problems with school behavior - disruption of classroom learning, fighting, theft, etc. Self-harm, alcohol, drug use. Decreased self-esteem, self-blame, feeling of uselessness. Violence, aggression. Weight changes. Feeling bored and lonely. As has already been said, depression can also overtake a preschool-age child; you should start worrying if you notice a setback in development: the child has stopped going to the toilet as expected or a change in habits - he refuses his favorite food..