Depression is a common illness that which majority of you are aware of, and chances are, in some part of your adult life, you also have faced it. But do you know not only adults face this problem but kids also in a different way compared to adults  ?. Reports state that more than 60 percent of kids around the world suffer from this disease. This not only affects their academic and social life, but majority of the cases, it is seen this also leads them to the thought of suicide.
Chances are your kid has also fallen into depression. However, now you will question how we will recognize it. Don’t worry; in this article, five common symptoms regarding this have been discussed, which can help you to recognize that if your kid has fallen into this thing or not.
Depression and anxiety in children and young people are often overlooked or missed.
If you’re a parent, a caregiver or a teacher, familiarize yourself with the symptoms and know what to look out for.
👉https://t.co/EMErgFYpcl pic.twitter.com/b0PeuWurfG
— Fulton Co Health Dep (@FCHDOhio) November 5, 2024They are sad all the time
The first symptom of depression is actually this thing. You will notice that your kid is usually sad for a long amount of time, which they were never supposed to be. Whenever you try to talk with them, they will usually bring up various negative thoughts about themselves, like how they are looser, they are pathetic, etc.
However, not only can this symptom easily help you to detect that if your kid is facing this illness or not, but in this process, the sleep aspect also comes as crucial.
The changes in sleeping pattern
The way you can confirm that your kid is suffering from depression is by the sleeping pattern. This thing will be drastically changed in this process, as a report stated that this happened to more than 80 percent of kids who faced this situation. Normally, your kid or an average kid sleeps for 7/8 hours, but in this scenario, they will sleep for only 3-4 hours, with the majority of the time being awake.
Sometimes, even if the case is worse, having negative thoughts circulating in their minds will prevent them from falling into the lap of sleep, and they will awake all the time in bed, slowly falling into insomnia. However, not only does the sleep pattern need to be checked out, but you also need to closely follow their eating habits.
The changes in eating habit
It is always normal that kids will love to eat. However, if your child is facing depression, things will be a lot different in these circumstances as you will see your kid is not interested in eating anything, not even their fav food. Most of the time even refuse to have breakfast, lunch or dinner, citing that they are not hungry. Don’t take this thing lightly as it is related to this mental illness as a report stated that more than 50 to 75 percent of kids actually went with this symptom of depression.
However, these signs are something which you need to observe closely, but regarding the next sign it will be easy for you to detect.
They are struggling with school
Your child’s grades have fallen, they are not attentive in class or don’t do homework or classwork regularly like they used to do before, they are picking fights in class or school. Nah don’t think that they are rebels, but it is just due to depression. The majority of studies, like the National Institution of Health, have stated that a child struggling in school is directly tied to this mental illness.
However, besides this, there are symptoms which can help you to easily detect in this process to check if they are being diagnosed with depression or not.
They want to live in their room all the time
This is the most common symptom which you can see if your kid has fallen into this illness. You will see that they don’t want to interact with their friends anymore, they don’t want to go to any occasion or even school, also instead, they want to spend their whole day in the room. Don’t think in this process that your child is doing some drama, but actually, he is suffering from depression as in this illness, isolation also emerges as one of the common symptoms which effects through this.
However, if you have heard those symptoms, now it is time to figure out how you can help your kids escape from it.
How to eliminate depression from your kids?
The first thing in this process is that you need to talk to your child frequently, not as a mom or dad but instead as a friend. You also had to engage your kid to conduct various physical activities like playing, dancing or going on walks. Since it is seen that the majority of kids fall into the line of this illness due to being excessively addicted to TV, computers or smartphones, in this process, you need to limit the screen time of these technologies.
However, besides this, one of the most significant methods which you can count on in this process is taking your child to a mental health counsellor to provide a counselling session which can help your child overcome successfully with this disease.
Why did children fall into depression?
Actually, there are a lot of reasons, but most notably, the main reasons have been identified by various researchers for the root cause of it. The three reasons are that the kid might be facing bullying in their school, The kid belongs to a dysfunctional family, They might be cyberbullied, and lastly, if they are between 13-17, they might have some problems regarding their love life.
Some best healthcare institutions which can help your child overcome this illness
| Center Name | Location |
| National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) | Bengaluru |
| Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) | Mumbai |
| The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) | Chennai |
| Fortis Healthcare | Various  locations in India |
| Apollo Hospitals | Various locations in India |
| Mayo Clinic | Rochester, Minnesota, USA |
| The Menninger Clinic | Topeka, Kansas, USA |
| Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Maudsley Hospital | London, England |
| Toronto Western Hospital | Toronto, Canada |
Top 10 countries where the majority of the kids face depression
| Rank | Country |
| 1 | United States |
| 2 | United Kingdom |
| 3 | Canada |
| 4 | Australia |
| 5 | New Zealand |
| 6 | Japan |
| 7 | South Korea |
| 8 | France |
| 9 | Germany |
| 10 | Spain |
FAQ
What are the common symptoms of this illness  in children?
The common symptoms of this illness  in children include being sad all the time, changes in sleeping patterns, changes in eating habits, struggling with school, and wanting to live in their room all the time.
How can changes in sleeping patterns indicate this illness in kids?
Changes in sleeping patterns can indicate it as kids suffering from this illness may sleep only 3-4 hours, struggle to fall asleep due to negative thoughts, or experience insomnia.
Why might a child show a lack of interest in eating?
A child facing this  might show a lack of interest in eating, often refusing meals, including their favorite foods, and claiming they are not hungry. This symptom is seen in 50 to 75 percent of depressed kids.
What role does isolation play in a child’s this illness ?
Isolation is a common symptom of this illness. Children may not want to interact with friends or attend school events, preferring to spend all their time in their room.
What are some potential causes of this illness in children?
Some identified causes of this illness in children include bullying at school, coming from a dysfunctional family, experiencing cyberbullying, and, for those aged 13-17, having issues related to their love life.
