With the pressures of society coming down heavily on our children, anxiety and mood disorders have become extremely prevalent. Though the term Ã

Originally posted 2006-10-03 11:49:45.

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“Many doctors and psychiatrists prescribe synthetic anti-depressants for children with depression or other developmental disorders.

While these medications certainly do have their place, it is my experience that they are significantly over prescribed, without first investigating more natural and equally effective alternatives.

It is alarming to see how many children are on a cocktail of prescription scheduled anti-depressants and psycho-stimulants. Often the drugs cause more complications than the original problem itself.

The use of strong scheduled drugs for children also often replaces proper assessment and the use of a complete and thorough treatment program for the child and the family” – Michele Carelse, Clinical Psychologist.

Diagnosis of childhood depression

Childhood Depression is not always as easily diagnosed as adult depression and can be masked. Children who are depressed do not always look sad and ‘down’ all the time, but may have other persistent symptoms that indicate that there is a problem.

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There is a vast difference between depression in children and in adults. Most of the times, parents do not notice depression in children and it remains untreated. Diagnosing depression in children is also more complicated than diagnosing depression in adults. The physician needs to interview the parents to understand whether the condition can be classified as clinical depression or not. As parents are likely to be biased due to their own motives, diagnosis may require interviewing friends, school mates and teachers also at times.

Stressed parents, faulty upbringing and genetic predisposition are the most commonly known causes of depression in children. Once it is diagnosed, there are various treatment options that can be looked into.

Cognitive Therapy is by far the most commonly used therapy for treating depression in children. Cognition is described as the psychological result of learning and reasoning. Depression in children is considered a result of negative self perceptions that manifests as cognitive distortions about self and the environment. The therapist uses his expertise to address the three domains of treatment.

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Parenting is a challenging job! Your child needs your guidance and help in practically every sphere of life. One of the major challenges that parents face today is related to the management of emotional upheavals in their teenagers. The emotional turbulence that a child goes through is normal and part of the process of growing up. But emotional trauma can potentially lead to depression in certain adolescents. Untreated depression has serious repercussions and may even lead to suicide.

It is highly unlikely that an adolescent will come crying to parents with an emotional problem. In our society, crying in public is not seen as an adult act and most adolescents are at a stage where they are trying to prove that they are adults and mature human beings. The fact, however, is that they are in the process of becoming adults. Therefore, there are times that they do need adult intervention to sort out matters. But for them, asking for help is like accepting the fact that they have not grown up yet. Moreover, they are too caught up with own emotions to ask for help and the adults fail to understand that subtle intervention is required in certain areas.

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