Understanding Childhood Depression

Childhood depression is different from everyday blues and mood swings. It resembles emotional dips which can be pervasive and long-lasting. It may even get dangerous and life-threatening when overlooked by parents. Depression has really strong symptoms which need to be identified as early as possible. It can also be termed as serious mental health condition that needs medical assessment and treatment.

Identifying depression

The symptoms of depression vary from child to child. Some of the prime symptoms of persistent depression are sadness, irritability, anger etc. Some of the others are –

• Social withdrawal- Loss of interest in playing and enjoying with friends and family 

• Feeling worthlessness, hopelessness and low self-esteem – Child may repeatedly say extreme words about one-self like –‘I am bad. I am stupid’ etc

• Physical discomfort or problems like headache, stomach ache or other physical pains etc. 

• Change in eating pattern - appetite may increase or decrease

• Vocal or anger outburst and excessive crying

• Difficulty in concentrating

• Changes in sleep pattern - sleeplessness or excessive sleep

• Difficulty in concentrating

• Fatigue and low energy

Factors that may cause depression

There may be more than one cause for depression. It is the result of several factors. Generally, depression is usually caused due to lowered levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, both in adults and children. This limits person’s ability to feel good.

There are also genetic factors which may be responsible for depression. Certain drastic events such as death of a loved one, separation of a friend can become reasons of depression. In teen years, break up may be one of the biggest reasons of depression in children. Along with that, chronic illness can also contribute to depression or side –effects of certain medicinal intake.

Treatment

Psychotherapy (counseling) : Child psychiatrist or psychologist through counseling can help in identifying right cause of depression. May further evaluate degree of depression and plan treatment accordingly. The counselor might prescribe counseling and therapy sessions of child with family and friends.

Medication: Usually doctor may suggest psychotherapy first and consider antidepressant medicine as an additional option if there is no improvement in condition.

Combination of psychotherapy and medication is most effective to successfully treat childhood depression. Remember, not to terminate your child's treatment till he/she is fully cured. Early detection is the key of treating depression in kids. Type of treatment also depends on child’s age and maturity. Therefore, choosing right treatment and doctor is highly important.

SAVE THE GIRL CHILD

“A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and promise of the future.” Anonymous

This quotation was printed on a card I received for a baby girl shower party recently. I was overwhelmed with pride and love for a girl child. But this feeling of pride was soon overshadowed by a question my niece asked me a little later. She asked me very innocently that why her best friend, our maid’s daughter Neeta, never went to a school. A few days ahead of this, she asked me that why Neeta’s mother, Susheela was persistently ill and on leave. I was at my wit’s end. 

Susheela got married five years back to a local Chai wala and Neeta were born to her soon after a year of the wedlock. Her in-laws were awfully unhappy FROM HER over the birth of a girl child. Since then she has had multiple miscarriages in a pursuit to have a baby boy. Because of this her health and work suffered tremendously.

Female Infanticide: A Disgrace

While writing this article, I am reminded of an old prehistoric Indian proverb, “A home without a daughter is like a body without soul”. Back then, the birth of a girl child was compared to the arrival of goddesses like Lakshmi and Saraswati.  However, things changed after a few invasions on India, inter cultural exchange and extreme poverty. Suddenly, the birth of a girl child was considered inauspicious, a curse, a lifelong burden and this ailing conviction is still very much ubiquitous. 

Sex determination is a criminal act under the Indian jurisdiction but still people manage to get the sex checked and the unborn baby is aborted heartlessly. Regrettably, this practice is very common in even the affluent and rich families as the “male” is considered as an actual, deserving heir to the family’s name and glory! Appalling!!

Nurture Her

Even if a girl child is not aborted and given the right to be born and live, then also she has to be taken care off in the same way as any boy.

Basic Education 

It is understandable that in a poor and developing nation like India, access to education and that too by girls is exceedingly impossible. But the need of the hour is AWARENESS! Government of India has initiated many schemes under the “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan” or “Education for All” where, every child is entitled to a primary education (free) from the age of 6 to 14 years. This program especially reaches out to the females by stressing the institutes to provide free textbook to the girls, provision for separate toilets, back to school camps for out-of –schools girls, etc. Many NGO's are also taking initiative to  provide education to girl child in India through 'Project Shakti', promoted by Sparsh.  As a parent and more than that as a responsible citizen, it is our moral duty to ensure that every single girl in our family, extended family, social circle, girls who are working for us, maid’s daughters etc. are entitled to this right to education and must be encourage and helped, to avail it.

Health and Nutrition

Every girl has a right to get balanced nutritious diet and safe sanitary conditions, access to hospitals and doctors during illness and a right to rest. It is seen in many poor households that the girl child is deprived of an occasional fruit and a milk drink at the cost of giving it to her brother. This is criminal. We, the educated and well read people should reach out to these people and counsel them that by doing such acts, they are being unreasonably prejudiced.

Child Marriage

In India, there are many rural areas where girls are married off at a pretty young age resulting in brutal assassination of the childhood, unhealthy reproductive, psychological and over all well being of a girl. Marrying off a girl before the age of 18 years is stringently forbidden by law but the lack of political will and intervention, subservience of a girl’s family are some of the contributing factors because of which this practice is flourishing full throttle. We as a responsible citizen should report any such happening to the police and if you get to know about such marriages in future, try reasoning with the parents of both sides. Good sense might prevail.

Your take

You might be excruciatingly involved in your family and job but life is not just about taking care of your own needs, it is also about extending your help to those who are in dire need of it. Join some NGO and impart a skill to these little girls. Try contributing clothes and books. Discourage your friends and family members in hiring young maids. If you have any maid, teach her!  

Saving a girl doesn’t only mean that she has to take birth only, she has to be taken care off, fed well, should be given primary education or at least some vocational training, should be protected and most importantly, she should be loved.

Spread the word that female infanticide is unlawful and ethically terrible and girls are to be cherished, not to be discarded!!