Mental Health Minute
Associated Clinic of Psychology
Depression
Within the past several years, students experienced numerous challenges. Whether it were the pandemic, socioeconomic, societal, or academic challenges; each student faced their own problems. Through that time period, the psychological field noticed an uptick in mental health needs. A study from the University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy found that 1 in 10 individuals experienced depressed mood.
What does it look like?
Emotional Symptoms: Another indicator for depression is their emotional symptoms. How is your child feeling? Have you noticed a change with their mood? Are they feeling sad, angry, irritated, numb, hopeless/helpless, or low self-esteem? Feelings of sadness, anger, irritability, loss of interest, feelings of guilt/low self-esteem, and hopeless/helpless feelings are most common among children, teens, and young adults.
Problems with School: Depression may impact children in their academics. A few questions may be worth considering if you feel that your child experiences depression. Are they skipping classes? Are they refusing to go to school? Are they tardy often or spending a lot of time roaming the halls? School refusal is a key indicator to your child's emotional well being. In addition, how are they functioning while in class? Are they day dreaming? Struggle focusing? Forgetting the material? Check to see your child's academic progress. It may tell you how your child is feeling.
Problems with Relationships: Children experiencing depression may present changes within their relationships. Does your child appear more isolated? Are they in their bedroom more often? Does it seem like they are distant from their friendships? Are they more short tempered or irritable during conversations? Also, is your student experiencing bullying? Or are they bullying other students? Of course not all of these mean depression, but they do provide an indicator to looking into their emotional well-being. Social isolation, less socialization, and more irritability/anger within interpersonal relationships can indicate problems with depression.
Why is it happening?
Genetics: A child is more susceptible to depression if another blood relative experienced depression. In addition, more woman than men are likely to be diagnosed with depression.
Biological: Neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine) are key components to our daily functionality. Changes to these neurotransmitters may present in different moods. Depression is one of those problems that occurs as a result of our brain chemistry. Hormonal changes can also trigger depression. Students that start to experience puberty may experience issues with sadness, loss of interest, etc.
Medical: Certain medications that treat physical and mental health problems, like: high blood pressure medication, ADHD medication, and sleeping medication, may create depression like symptoms.
How can I help?
Provide a supportive presence: When people that we care about are upset, we instinctively try to fix it. Unfortunately, this is not always effective for people with depression. So how do we support them? Well, we can provide support by listening and sitting with that person. Try sitting with your child without adding any advice.
Get Moving!: Physical exercise can improve our brain chemistry. It doesn't take that much to feel better. There are several different ways to get some exercise. Try walking with your child. Ride a bike with your child. Any kind of exercise for about 10-15 minutes per day may improve their mood.
Nutrition: Our diets deeply impact our mood. Having a healthy eating plan centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein sources, and nuts and seeds improves our mood and health.
Sleep: Children need an adequate amount of sleep to maintain normative development. Students that sleep too much (10+ hours a night) or sleep too little (less than 8 hours a night) may experience more depressive symptoms.
Get Engaged: People with depression tend to engage in less activities. They may also socialize less. Engaging in activities can boost their mood and enhance their community outreach! If you notice your child looking more sluggish, sad, or down, try and get them to bake/cook something with you. Going to the gym, hanging out with friends, volunteering, and going places can help boost your child's mental health!
Take a Technology Time Out: Screen time and social media use has been linked with increased depression and anxiety in youth. Help them recognize signs of stress and lead them in setting boundaries. How about a resolution to have one 'technology-free' hour per day?
Pursue Professional Help: Seeking out professional expertise is an effective method for treatment for children needing short term and long term help. Therapists are professionally skilled in several effective counseling theories that improve the child's well-being. One of the most common and effective forms of therapy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This theory of counseling addresses the child's thoughts, emotions, and actions. Another valuable resource is psychiatry. Psychiatrists help families with the biological piece of depression. Medications are an effective tool for some students, but not all. It's important to consult with your doctor or mental health professional if this is an option you're considering.