Signs your child might be more than moody. Via Child Mind Institute: Since adolescents are often moody, it can be difficult to recognize when your child has become depressed. The thing people tend to notice first is withdrawal. Observed when a teenager stops doing things they usually like to do. There might be other changes in mood, including sadness or irritability. Or in behavior, including, appetite, energy level, sleep patterns and academic performance. If several of these symptoms are present, be vigilant about the possibility of teen depression.This is especially important because by the time family members and other people around a teenager note lack of interest in things, they have usually been depressed for some time (Anhedonia ).
Depression is an internalizing disorder. One that disturbs emotional life rather than an externalizing one. Externalizing takes the form of disruptive or problematic behavior. As such, it takes a while not only for others to recognize it but for the teen to realize that the thinking, and emotional responses, are disturbed.
There are two kinds of depression. In major depressive disorder the symptoms occur in what may be severe episodes. They tend to last from seven to nine months. But there is also another form of depression called dysthymia. Symptoms are milder, but they last longer, even years. So while the experience of dysthymia may be less debilitating for the child, the risk is that there is more accrued damage. This includes more time in which the child is kept out of the healthy development process. CONTINUE READING.
