Symptoms and treatments for depression in children

Every day when he wakes up, he feels heavy-hearted and wants to cry for no apparent reason. He doesn’t know how to face this difficult life. He skips all daily routines such as washing his face, brushing his teeth and bathing. It seems that nothing in life can arouse his interest. He was not even in the mood to watch his favorite games and short videos; thoughts like \”life has no meaning\” and \”I am a burden to my family\” popped up from time to time, making him feel even more depressed and desperate… 17-year-old Xiao L He is a sophomore in a key high school and has not been to school for several weeks. In fact, he has developed some typical symptoms of depression. What are the prominent symptoms of depression that should cause great concern? What is the difference between depressed mood and depression? As family members or friends, how can we provide effective support and help to patients with depression? Water Dragon Ode, Xin Qiji\’s Ten Most Famous Poems and the Complete Collection of Xin Qiji\’s Poems PDF Health is a Continuum According to the definition of the World Health Organization, health is not only the absence of physical diseases or defects, but also a complete physical, mental state and social adaptability. At the same time, health is a linear continuum, not a dichotomous variable. That is to say, strictly speaking, the vast majority of people belong to an intermediate state between \”healthy\” and \”unhealthy\”, which is the so-called \”gray area\”. If there is a lot of pressure and stress in a certain period of time, the mental health status may be in the dark gray area closer to \”unhealthy\”, and vice versa, it will be in the light gray area. Since everyone will experience various stress and stress states in life, almost everyone will experience the \”psychological gray area\”. The \”grey area\” is not terrible, but it needs to be recognized and treated appropriately. The \”light gray area\” and \”dark gray area\” can be dynamically adjusted and changed. If a person\’s environment becomes better, the pressure becomes less, or the individual has better social support and self-regulation methods, the mental health status is likely to change from the \”dark gray area\” to the \”light gray area\” and vice versa. Likewise. For example, if Little L and his family can detect the above various psychological and behavioral manifestations in a timely manner and actively seek psychological support and help, and if his family does not criticize or complain, but provides acceptance and support, his psychological problems are likely to be resolved in a positive direction. Develop in a healthier direction. It should be noted that psychological problems, whether in the \”light gray area\” or the \”dark gray area\”, are more developmental problems, such as depression, which can be adjusted and improved through psychological education, psychological counseling or self-study. ; The areas darker than the \”dark gray area\” may be obstructive problems, such as depression, which need to be solved through psychological treatment. If a person repeatedly encounters various setbacks and difficulties within a certain period of time, he may develop depression, but it may not necessarily reach the level of depression. This issue needs to be scientifically and clearly defined and distinguished. Depressed mood is not depression It is important to note that depressed mood is not depression. Under pressure and stress, many people will experience depression. This is a problem that occurs in development and is a very normal phenomenon. It can be well adjusted through self-adjustment or psychological consultation; and depression is pathological depression. Episodes, a subcategory of depressive disorder, requireIt should be solved by psychotherapists with strict professional training in psychiatry through drug treatment supplemented by psychotherapy. Therefore, we need to recognize the difference between depression and depression, do not confuse the two, and do not panic and fear because of depression. We should realize that depression is a normal reaction under stress, which can be accepted and transformed. . Specifically, depression is characterized by depression, depression, lack of energy to do things, and feeling lonely in the past two weeks. Specifically, the clinical diagnosis of depression (according to the \”Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition\”) includes the following two aspects: On the one hand, there is obvious pain that lasts for two weeks or more, or in important aspects such as social and occupational life. There is impairment of social functions; on the other hand, there are more than 5 of the following symptoms (at least one of which is \”depressed mood\” or \”loss of interest or fun\”): 1. Depressed mood most of the time almost every day; 2 . Obvious loss of interest or pleasure in most activities almost every day; 3. Significant weight loss or weight gain without dieting (a change of more than 5% in a month); 4. Insomnia or excessive sleep almost every day; 5. Feeling restless or sluggish almost every day; 6. Feeling tired or lacking energy almost every day; 7. Feeling worthless or excessively self-blaming almost every day; 8. Impaired thinking or attention ability, or hesitation almost every day; 9. Repeatedly Thinking of death, recurring suicidal thoughts, intentions and plans; 10. The above symptoms cannot be explained by other mental disorders and physical diseases. According to the monitoring of 157 nationally representative disease monitoring points in 31 provinces in my country, the lifetime prevalence of depression in adults in my country is 6.8%. According to data from the \”China National Mental Health Development Report\”, the detection rate of depression among adolescents in my country in 2020 is 24.6%, of which the detection rate of mild depression is 17.2% and the detection rate of severe depression is 7.4%. How to support and help patients with depression. If we have family members or friends suffering from depression, especially teenagers and children at home, how can we effectively provide support and help to them? Studies have found that although the influencing factors of adolescent depression include very complex genetic, physiological and psychological reasons, the role of family upbringing is as high as about 30%. Parental blame, criticism, excessive demands in the family, alienation from parent-child relationships, perfectionism pressure, and childhood abuse and neglect are all typical factors that lead to depression in adolescents. Support from family is very important for adolescents with depression. The support and care of family and friends can enhance their confidence and hope, help them accept and better face depression problems. At the same time, it is also important to note that the support and help provided by family members should be what patients with depression really need. Only the support that patients need is truly effective support. According to a survey of patients with depression, the following 11 measures are considered effective or very effective by patients with depression, including: exercising, having support from family and friends, receiving psychological counseling and treatment, and engaging in meaningful and satisfying activities. peopleWork contentedly, relax and meditate, stay well-nourished, stay away from alcohol and drugs, take prescription medications, join support groups, have religious and spiritual beliefs, and engage in philanthropy. When it comes to supporting people with depression, here are a few principles that can help provide them with real help. Empathy rather than a “come on” attitude. When facing patients with depression, the following are incorrect attitudes: First, the \”ignoring\” type, such as telling him \”Don\’t think too much, just take a dim view\” and so on. This attitude seems to be enlightening, but in fact it ignores his inner feelings and psychological needs. The second is the \”come on\” type, such as telling him \”you have to come on\” and \”you have to believe in yourself\”. This attitude can make people with depression feel that they are \”not good enough\” if they don\’t work hard enough and persevere, which not only brings about a sense of low self-worth but also creates a sense of guilt. \”Come on\” encouragement will cause patients with depression to hide their true feelings, leaving people with an optimistic illusion. The third is the laissez-faire type, that is, blindly letting the depressed patient vent his emotions without paying attention to and paying attention to the positive power and resources hidden behind his pain. For example, a teenager suffering from depression still insists on participating in dance group activities and doing things that feel meaningful while taking medication for treatment. This persistence should be seen and regarded as precious by his family. The most effective attitude when dealing with patients with depression is empathy, which means putting yourself in the patient\’s shoes to understand and experience his pain and emotions, and unconditionally accepting and respecting his pain in a non-judgmental way. For example, you can say: \”You seem to be in pain. It must be very difficult for you at this time.\” This kind of empathic and non-judgmental attitude can make patients with depression feel seen and understood, thereby stimulating their power to change. . Accept depression. Accepting depression means hearing what the depressed person has to say, accepting his strong emotions, and understanding the symptoms he exhibits, including thoughts of suicide and self-harm. Acceptance can create a good connection between us and people with depression, increasing mutual trust and closeness. The opposite of acceptance is to deny or ignore the content expressed by patients with depression, belittle the impact of depression, or blindly look for the source of the cause, such as \”your low mood is entirely because your willpower is not strong enough\”, etc., which will only give rise to depression. It brings greater pain and helplessness to patients. It should be noted that acceptance does not mean giving up. On the contrary, acceptance helps patients with depression see confidence and hope, and take a solid step towards life transformation. Caregivers need to take care of themselves. Having a family member suffering from depression is really draining and requires the caregiver\’s full commitment and full participation. If not \”recharged\” in time, it is easy to become physically and mentally exhausted. In particular, parents of adolescents with depression suffer multiple physical and mental torments. They are worried about the future of their children and may also be full of blame and complaints about themselves and others. On the one hand, parents should enrich themselves through continuous learning, strengthen their scientific understanding of depression, adjust and change their parenting methods, recognize the difficulties and difficulties of caring for adolescents with depression, accept that children\’s recovery will take a relatively long time, and Seek professional help when necessary. What is the nature of depression? On the other hand, parents also need to learn to take care of themselves and care about their physical and mental state. In addition to daily care work, they should do more things to nourish themselves, adjust their physical and mental state, and enhance their inner strength; at the same time, they should actively seek social Support and accompany the children to get out of the darkness and see the light, so that each other\’s lives will be transformed and renewed.