{"id":374,"date":"2012-09-11T13:58:01","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T20:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/?p=374"},"modified":"2012-12-02T17:15:32","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T00:15:32","slug":"mood-disorder-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/2012\/09\/11\/mood-disorder-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Mood Disorder &#8211; Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Children who have mood disorders struggle with how they feel. There are many types of mood disorders. The most common mood disorders are depression (also known as uni-polar disorder) and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/category\/2-9-children-with-mental-ilness-mood-disorders-bipolar-disorder\/\">bi-polar disorder<\/a>. To learn about other types of mood disorders, please visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/earlychildhoodintervention2\/category\/2-9-children-with-mental-health-disorders-mood-disorders\/\">birth to six section of this course<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A child with depression usually shows these symptoms almost every day:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Experiencing feelings of extreme sadness even if there is no reason for the sadness (Fig. 1);<\/li>\n<li>Having very low energy or being very restless;<\/li>\n<li>Sleeping lots or not sleeping enough;<\/li>\n<li>Over-eating or not eating enough;<\/li>\n<li>Having no interest in anything or anyone;<\/li>\n<li>Failing to take pleasure in any activity, including activities that used to be pleasurable to the child before he or she became depressed;<\/li>\n<li>Appearing sad or uninterested in others;<\/li>\n<li>Younger children may seem irritable;<\/li>\n<li>Feeling very tired or exhausted, even without physical activity;<\/li>\n<li>Experiencing feelings of worthlessness (that is, they feel that they do not matter);<\/li>\n<li>Feeling hopeless and helpless;<\/li>\n<li>Having trouble concentrating on daily mental activities, such as solving a math problem;<\/li>\n<li>Speaking very slowly and in a somewhat monotonous tone (that is, without emotion);<\/li>\n<li>Being unable to make decisions;<\/li>\n<li>Having trouble remembering things;<\/li>\n<li>Spending a lot of time alone and avoiding friends;<\/li>\n<li>Being extremely sensitive and crying at the smallest things;<\/li>\n<li>Possibly feeling that life is not worth living, often thinking of death and dying and feeling suicidal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/sadness.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-381\" title=\"sadness\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/sadness.jpg\" alt=\"sad girl\" width=\"338\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/sadness.jpg 371w, https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/sadness-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Figure 1. Experiencing sadness<\/h5>\n<p>Many adults, adolescents and children feel sad and even very sad at some point in their lives. These feelings do not usually last very long. Also, some do feel very sad for a somewhat long period of time, but it is because there is a reason (for example, the death of a parent). Depression occurs when the child is very sad for a very long time (at least six weeks) for no apparent reason. The sadness is so severe and constant that it hurts the child\u2019s ability to function well and go to school. The child\u2019s sadness is usually not explained by sickness or a sad event.<\/p>\n<p>Children who suffer from depression need <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention3\/2012\/01\/30\/physiotherapist\/\" target=\"_blank\">psychotherapy<\/a> to help them understand and cope with their emotions and feelings of low energy. Psycho-therapy should be provided by a licensed clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist who has experience working with children. In the beginning, the psycho-therapy sessions can be frequent. The most common type of psycho-therapy used with children who are depressed is <a title=\"CBT is a psychological treatment that addresses the interactions between how we think, feel and behave. It is usually time-limited, focuses on current problems and follows a structured style of intervention.\">cognitive-behavioral therapy<\/a> (CBT) (see <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/earlychildhoodintervention1\/files\/2012\/02\/ECI_Glossary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ECI Glossary<\/a>). In CBT, children are taught to change how they think (the cognitive part) and how to change the behaviors associated with depression (the behavioral part).<\/p>\n<p>Some children with severe depression could be placed on medication. It is believed that one of the causes for depression is an imbalance in the level of some <a title=\"Communication of information between neurons is accomplished by movement of chemicals across a small gap called the synapse. Chemicals, called neurotransmitters, are released from one neuron at the presynaptic nerve terminal.\">neuro-transmitters<\/a> (see <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/earlychildhoodintervention1\/files\/2012\/02\/ECI_Glossary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ECI Glossary<\/a>) in the brain. The issue of medicating children is a difficult one. \u00a0Most research done on depression medication has focused on adults, not children. There can be serious side effects. For more information about intervention options for depression, please visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/earlychildhoodintervention2\/category\/2-9-children-with-mental-health-disorders-mood-disorders\/\" target=\"_blank\">birth to six portion of this course<\/a> and scroll down to the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n<p>Children with depression need help in the classroom. They will often have trouble \u00a0staying on task and paying attention. They may find class and home work overwhelming. Sometimes they can be irritable and defiant. Most of them will not be on an Individual Education Plan (IEP) but they still need help. Here are a few things \u00a0teachers who have a child with depression in their classroom can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure the child feels welcome and safe in the classroom;<\/li>\n<li>Make changes to class material such as:\n<ul>\n<li>Giving them more time to complete in-class assignments;<\/li>\n<li>Giving them more time to turn in home work;<\/li>\n<li>Giving them more time to complete tests;<\/li>\n<li>Giving them simple directions;<\/li>\n<li>Giving them outlines of lessons so it is easier for them to follow the day\u2019s lesson;<\/li>\n<li>Make sure children are told that they are worthwhile:\n<ul>\n<li>Finding out what the child is good at and making sure they engage in such activities;<\/li>\n<li>Giving the child frequent but sincere compliments;<\/li>\n<li>Drawing attention to the child\u2019s skills and strengths;<\/li>\n<li>Encourage the child to engage in <a href=\"http:\/\/keltymentalhealth.ca\/healthy-living\/physical-activity\" target=\"_blank\">physical activities<\/a> (Fig. 2) (if they are not moving enough);<\/li>\n<li>Encourage the child to eat healthy foods (if the child is over-eating) or make sure the child is eating (if the child is under-eating) (Fig. 3);<\/li>\n<li>Allow the child to go to the nurse\u2019s station and take a nap (if the child suffers from lack of sleep);<\/li>\n<li>Collaborate with the school counselor who may have additional information on how to help a child with depression in a regular classroom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/physicalactivity.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-380\" title=\"physicalactivity\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/physicalactivity.jpg\" alt=\"a boy with a ball\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/physicalactivity.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/physicalactivity-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Figure 2. Physical activity<\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/strawberry.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-382\" title=\"strawberry\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/09\/strawberry.jpg\" alt=\"a girl eating a strawberry\" width=\"181\" height=\"272\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Figure 3. Eating<\/h5>\n<p>Depression is a very serious disorder that can be a lifelong condition. Most children who get the right amount of psycho-therapy grow up to be happy and healthy adults. That is because good psychotherapy does not just deal with the child\u2019s current symptoms. It also teaches the child how to cope with overwhelming feelings if they happen again.<\/p>\n<h5>see <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/files\/2012\/12\/MCI_References.pdf\">References<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Children who have mood disorders struggle with how they feel. There are many types of mood disorders. The most common mood disorders are depression (also known as uni-polar disorder) and bi-polar disorder. To learn about other types of mood disorders, please visit the birth to six section of this course. A child with depression usually [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[620140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2-9-children-with-mental-ilness-mood-disorder-depression"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":567,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions\/567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/middlechildhoodintervention2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}