Last Updated on June 3, 2023

Childhood is recalled by many individuals as an idyllic time of friends quest, and elementary school enjoyment. Those early years, however, for some children, youth depression can cloud. In fact, a recent study of global data printed in The Lancet identified mental health problems as the top health problem among children.

How can parents help make sure their kids have emotionally healthy childhoods? The very first step towards preventing depression in children is admitting its chance.

“Melancholy does exist in kids — it’s an incredibly real disorder which likely affects between 3 and 5 percent of all children and youths,” says child and adolescent psychiatrist David Fassler, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington.

Youth depression often goes unrecognized and untreated, however. This only compounds the difficulties your child will face, points out Dr. Fassler, who is also a co-author of Help Me, I’m Sad: Recognizing, Treating and Preventing Childhood and Adolescent Depression (Penguin, 1998). Depression has a cumulative effect, which means that each untreated episode of depression will probably be worse than the one before it — and the earlier in life a person experiences depression, the worse their encounter with it’ll be over the course of their life.

Step 1

In the event you wish to aid your son or daughter avoid depression, it is very important to be fair about her or his risk factors. Risk factors for youth depression include:

• A history of depression in one or both parents. “If you’ve got one parent with melancholy, there is a 25 percent risk, but in the event that you have two parents with depression, the risk jumps to 75 percent,” says Fassler.
• Early injuries. The death of someone close to your kid early in his life, frequent moves, and divorce all increase the risk of childhood depression.
• A history of emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment
• Having a chronic illness
• Having a parent in a war zone. Deployments related to Iraq and Afghanistan have influenced two million youngsters, says Fassler, lots of whom are prone to youth depression.
• Substance abuse or alcohol abuse in the household. “Anything that makes your parenting inconsistent increases the risk of depression,” notes Fassler. Substance abuse or alcoholism induce you to behave quite differently if you are using than when you’re sober, as well as these changes affect your kids.
• Having a parent in prison. Children whose parents are incarcerated have the exact same despair and sense of loss as kids whose parents have already been deployed, however they could be not as likely to discuss their situation.
• Recent immigration to the USA. Children of immigrants might be at increased danger of youth depression, particularly if the immigration was surprising and surprising.

Step 2: Protect Children From Childhood Depression

You may not be able to change specific facts about your child’s life, such as having a parent in a war zone, but there are steps you can take to stop youth depression if you believe your child is at risk. You can begin working on youth depression prevention substantially before, while depression in kids can seem as early as age 5. “I believe there are things we can also do to help improve resilience in children,” says Fassler. His advice:

• Establish predictability and stability. Avoid moving houses and school districts or shuffling schedules overly usually.
• Encourage strong relationships with caring adults. In addition to parents, relatives, teachers, and other community members can supply kids with a precious basis of love and support.
• Encourage open and honest communication. “If your child has things on his head, you need him to know he can come and speak to you personally instead of holding it in,” says Fassler.
• Develop a balanced approach to discipline. “Instead of constantly telling kids what not to do, we need to give them positive feedback and encouragement,” Fassler guides.
• Let children experience life. Painful though it is to see your child suffer a disappointment, “we have to let children learn the way to deal with frustration and disappointment and to realize that it’s not the end of the world,” says Fassler.
• Support youngsters’ self-esteem. “Locate things that kids are excellent at and help them develop those skills,” advises Fassler.
• Contemplate prophylactic therapy. Should you think your kid is at risk for depression because of life circumstances, consider treatment or a support group involving other children in the exact same scenario.

Step 3: Seek Help for Youth Depression

Youth depression can’t be fully prevented by you. Even should you follow all those recommendations, your child may still become depressed. In case your youngster appears to be uncommonly removed, tearful, and quiet, or unusually irritable and prone to fighting, talk to your pediatrician. Obtaining a referral for help early is much better than waiting a long time, counsels Fassler. With proper treatment, your kid will soon be heading back toward a pleasant youth once more.