What depression looks like in a child

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What depression looks like in a child

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Depression isn't always the easiest thing to diagnose in a child or adolescent. There are some kids, that we think look like as classically depressed adults. They may be withdrawn. They may be sad. They may be tearful. They may have trouble sleeping. They may have a reduced appetite. Other kids go in completely the opposite direction. They get irritable. They are fighting at home. They are getting into trouble at school. What you really need to look for is three things. One is a change for a particular child, it's something that is different. Two is that it's lasting, so it's not just a bad day or a weekend. The third, and I think the most important, is that it is interfering with a child's ability to function, either at home, in school or with their friends. It's symptoms or behaviors that are new and not going away, then you need to get it checked out. Talk to the school, talk to a counselor to get a referral to a qualified and trained professional who can check out if it is really depression.

Watch David Fassler, MD's video on What depression looks like in a child...

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David Fassler, MD

Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist

David Fassler, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist practicing in Burlington, Vermont. A graduate of Yale University School of Medicine, he completed his training in adult psychiatry at the University of Vermont, and in child psychiatry at Cambridge Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He currently serves as clinical director of Otter Creek Associates, a multidisciplinary practice providing comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment services. Dr. Fassler is also a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont, and the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families.

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Transcription: 
Depression isn't always the easiest thing to diagnose in a child or adolescent. There are some kids, that we think look like as classically depressed adults. They may be withdrawn. They may be sad. They may be tearful. They may have trouble sleeping. They may have a reduced appetite. Other kids go in completely the opposite direction. They get irritable. They are fighting at home. They are getting into trouble at school. What you really need to look for is three things. One is a change for a particular child, it's something that is different. Two is that it's lasting, so it's not just a bad day or a weekend. The third, and I think the most important, is that it is interfering with a child's ability to function, either at home, in school or with their friends. It's symptoms or behaviors that are new and not going away, then you need to get it checked out. Talk to the school, talk to a counselor to get a referral to a qualified and trained professional who can check out if it is really depression.