Identifying Mood Disorders in Kids
November 15, 2011, By Jim Higley 0 comments
One of the most important skills every parent needs to master is knowing when to react. Or react with urgency. Or when to do nothing.
If your child comes home from school complaining "Daddy, I fell on the playground and my elbow really, really hurts!" you need to quickly assess what you're going to do. Ice it? Watch it? Or head to the emergency room?
That internal barometer of parenting keeps us from living in a constant state of panic. Life does occasionally deal a periodic emergency, but most moms and dads come to realize that a bandage, a hug and a little TLC often heals most injuries.
But what about your child's mental health? How do you know when you need to do something more than wait? Kids get sad, right? And kids certainly can be moody. They can say hurtful things and slam doors. But usually—fortunately—they bounce back.
Sometimes, however, they can't.
Fact: Out of 100,000 adolescents, two to three thousand kids will have a mood disorder. About ten of those kids will commit suicide. Please read that one more time.
The two principle classifications for mood disorders are depression and bi-polarity (also known as manic-depression). Bi-polarity is characterized by severe mood swings ranging from deep sadness/depression to euphoric and manic behavior. Depression is defined as an overriding sadness and feelings of despair. These feelings are all-pervasive and don't disappear with time.
According to Dr. Deb Gilman, a licensed clinical psychologist in Pittsburgh, PA, while children and adolescents experience depression and mood disorders, they don't always look the same as those disorders in adults. Tearfulness and sadness are sometimes evident, but so are symptoms such as irritability, aggression and even anxiety. Because the child or teen may not always seem sad, parents may not realize that disruptive or aggressive behavior can be a sign of depression.
