Common signs of depression in children

Psychologist Alan Yellin, PhD, shares advice for parents on the most common signs that a child exhibits when he or she is depressed to help parents tell if their child is depressed or not
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Common signs of depression in children

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There are frequently signs that we see exhibited by the child when a child is depressed. Irritability is one of the signs. Difficulty sleeping can be one of those signs. Low frustration tolerance can be a sign. Decrease in appetite can be another sign. And the other thing that I look for in general is I try to assess the happiness levels of a child. Does the child seem like a happy child? Do they get joy in watching a movie or going to a friend’s house, or do they just seem like they’re not a happy camper? So all those things put together give us an indication of whether a child is truly depressed or not. Sadness, we expect. All children go through periods of sadness, but we hope they don’t go through periods of depression.

Psychologist Alan Yellin, PhD, shares advice for parents on the most common signs that a child exhibits when he or she is depressed to help parents tell if their child is depressed or not

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Alan Yellin, PhD

Psychologist

Dr. Alan Yellin is a licensed psychologist as well as licensed marriage and family therapist.  He has been in practice for over 30 years working with children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Yellin did his post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. In his practice, he sees children with learning problems, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, fears and social skills issues. Additionally, he has a sub-specialty in working with children from divorced families as well as helping parents deal more effectively with their divorce. Dr. Yellin’s practice also includes working with adolescents and adults with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive issues as well as issues around life passages. Dr. Yellin believes that therapy works best when the client and therapist have a collaborative relationship as they explore thoughts and feelings and work towards solutions, and uses a combination of scientific data along with humor to help people achieve change. He is in a long-term happy marriage and has two grown children.

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