Is my child depressed?
While a physician, psychologist, or counselor should make a final
judgment about whether a child is depressed, here are some signs you
can look for:
- Depressed or irritable mood most of the day, nearly every day
- Loss of interest or pleasure in several activities s/he used
to enjoy (not simply outgrowing past interests)
- Significant decrease in appetite or significant weight loss
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Agitated or restless behavior, or the opposite--lethargy, significant
decreases in activity level
- Saying negative things about him- or herself, especially feelings
of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
- Diminished ability to concentrate or focus on schoolwork
- Frequent thoughts of death or dying, and especially threats
to harm or kill him- or herself
- Sudden decline in school motivation and performance
Most kids and teens have days when they feel down or out-of-sorts.
The symptoms above should cause concern when they persist or when
your child/teen doesn’t seem able to “bounce back”
as well as s/he used to.
What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression) is a condition
that involves extreme disturbances in a person's mood, energy, and
ability to think clearly. In many individuals with bipolar disorder,
their mood swings from high (mania) to low (depression) and then
back again, often with normal moods in between. These cyclical mood
changes can be severe, ranging from highly energetic, euphoric states
to persistent states of hopelessness and despair. Such shifts in
mood often seriously interfere with a person's normal day-to-day
functioning. Mania typically occurs in episodes and can include
racing thoughts, inflated self-esteem, talkativeness, distractibility,
and the ability to go with little or no sleep for days without feeling
tired. Although manic states are often associated with intense elation
and euphoria, these feelings can quickly shift to extreme anger
and hostility. The symptoms associated with the depressive phase
of bipolar disorder are generally similar to the signs of clinical
depression (sometimes referred to as unipolar depression). Individuals
with bipolar disorder may experience depressive symptoms before,
during, and/or following manic states within the same episode, though
this can vary considerably from person to person.
What constitutes an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is characterized by serious disturbances in an
individual's eating habits, and usually involves abnormal obsessions
with food and body weight. The health complications that can result
from having an eating disorder are often serious and have the potential
to be life-threatening. The two most common types of eating disorders
are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa:
- Anorexia: Individuals suffering from
anorexia refuse to maintain a normal, healthy body weight and
may severely restrict their calorie intake and/or exercise excessively
and compulsively. Some may also engage in binge eating and purging
behaviors. Although these individuals are below ideal body weight
for their height and age, and despite comments from family and
friends that they are too thin, they often experience an intense
fear of gaining weight and a significantly distorted perception
of their own size.
- Bulimia: This type of eating disorder
is characterized by a cycle of binge eating (consuming a large
number of calories within a short period), followed by purging
(an effort to compensate or "undo" the binge by getting rid of
the food). Purging often involves self-induced vomiting, laxatives,
diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise. For individuals suffering
from bulimia, this addictive cycle can quickly become almost uncontrollable.
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD)?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder
that is characterized by having persistent, distressing thoughts
or impulses (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors or rituals
(compulsions). Compulsions are performed in response to an obsession
as a way to prevent or control the upsetting thoughts or impulses
and to decrease the anxiety that they cause. Individuals with OCD
commonly have multiple obsessions and compulsions that are often
associated with one another. For example, hand washing and cleaning
rituals are usually associated with germs and contamination obsessions.
Other common rituals involve repeatedly checking, counting, or touching
things in a specific order or sequence. Although individuals with
OCD can often recognize that their obsessions or compulsions are
excessive or illogical, the compelling and urgent need they feel
to perform their particular routines persists.
What is Post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD)?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by persistent
anxiety following exposure to an overwhelming traumatic event, such
as a natural disaster, major accident, kidnapping, war and violence,
or sexual abuse. Common symptoms of PTSD include:
- Experiencing vivid flashbacks or distressing nightmares that either relate to, or sometimes replicate, the traumatic event
- Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event, withdrawing or disengaging from loved ones, or feeling emotionally numb
- Increased arousal, such as being more jumpy or nervous, having difficulty sleeping, or trouble concentrating
Although witnessing a traumatic event is usually very distressing for the persons directly exposed, especially in the immediate aftermath, it does not necessarily mean that every person will develop symptoms of PTSD that persist over time. Reactions to trauma typically vary over time and may depend on a number of different factors such as the level of trauma exposure, availability of social support, coping skills, and other pre-existing individual characteristics. In addition, recent research looking at gender differences suggests that women tend to be more vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress symptoms than men and may actually take longer periods of time to recover.
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