Katie S. first was diagnosed with depression when she was 8 years old. Looking back 10 years later, she says the hardest part of her ordeal was learning how to talk about her feelings.
“When I was younger, I didn’t know how to talk to doctors,” says Katie, who lives in York, Pa. Now, she helps other kids who are struggling with mental illnesses. Katie organized a support group where kids can talk about their problems. They need a safe environment where they can talk openly, because, she says, “kids don’t want people to judge them.”
Katie received a Medal of Excellence in June from the National Mental Health Association for her work on depression. The illness, according to the association, affects one out of every 33 kids.
While awareness about depression in kids is increasing and medication can help treat the illness, a lot of children still suffer because adults don’t realize they are depressed. Depression in children can be hard to diagnose, because kids feel uncomfortable talking to adults or don’t know how to describe their feelings. In fact, doctors say other kids usually are the first to notice a problem.
“Some of the best people for identifying depressed children are other children. Trust your own judgment. If a friend [seems] down, tell a parent or a teacher,” says Mark Reinecke, chief of psychology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Doctors say it is harder to diagnose depression in kids than in adults. While adults often can describe their feelings, kids usually just get stomachaches or lose interest in school, Reinecke says.
But depression is much more than just feeling sad. Symptoms of depression typically last longer than two weeks and can’t be shaken by doing fun activities, like playing with friends or going to the movies. Depressed kids may lose interest in hobbies they used to enjoy, like painting.
Still, sometimes no one notices. Mark Holofcener is the author of “Evan’s Earthly Adventure” (Beyond Time Books, $11), which he wrote after his 13-year-old son was killed while riding his bike. The book has put Holofcener in touch with numerous kids, and he’s talked to them about their emotional states and feelings. Holofcener says the biggest challenge for depressed children is finding people who can help them. “Depression is so rampant because kids don’t know where to go to get someone to take them seriously,” he says.
David W., 17, of Glenvil, Neb., knows that well. After being diagnosed in 1st grade with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and later with bipolar disorder, he says he got frustrated with doctors. “One psychiatrist told me he knew what I was going through,” David says. “I was like, Are you ADHD, are you bipolar, do you get pumped with drugs all the time? How could you possibly know what I am going through?”
Another challenge for depressed kids is feeling accepted at school. Katie says kids often tell her they are embarrassed to talk about their illness because they think other kids will look down on them. “I know kids are depressed and they don’t want to come out with it because they’re worried about popularity,” she says.
Support groups help because everyone is going through similar experiences. “[Support] lets me know there are other kids out there just like me,” says David.
Still, sometimes just talking about problems is not enough. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, director of New York University’s Child Study Center and author of “More Than Moody: Recognizing and Treating Adolescent Depression” (Putnam, $25.95), says if therapy doesn’t help, then kids need a psychologist and, sometimes, medication.
He says even though kids often don’t want to take medication because they are embarrassed about their illness, it can help reduce the chances of depression in the future.
“Depression is bad for the brain,” he says. Someone who has one episode of depression is 60 percent more likely to have a second, and if that person has a second episode, then they are 90 percent more likely to have a third.
For kids over age 7, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved the depression-treatment drug Prozac. Some doctors also prescribe Zoloft for depressed kids.
Heed the warnings
Doctors say it is harder to diagnose depression in kids than in adults. Kids often don’t know what they are experiencing, and sometimes don’t have the words to describe what they are feeling. Depression is much more than just feeling sad, but according to Dr. Edward Hallowell, prolonged sadness is one of the symptoms. Here are some other warning signs of depression:
– Feelings of hopelessness.
– Suddenly doing worse in school.
– Avoiding friends and always wanting to be alone.
– Loss of interest in activities formerly enjoyed.
– Big changes in sleeping and eating patterns.
– Feelings of listlessness and lethargy.
– Desire to sleep a lot, or inability to sleep when you want to.
Source: National Mental Health Association, Edward Hallowell, M.D.
You’re not in it alone
– One out of every five kids has a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder.
– Kids who have one episode of depression are at an increased risk for experiencing depression again in the next five years.
– Teenage girls have a higher chance of developing depression than teenage boys.
– Children are at a higher risk for depression if they have a long-term illness or experience abuse or neglect.
Source: National Mental Health Association
Go online to learn more
Feeling blue and not sure what to do? The following Web sites can help you learn more:
– www.pbskids.org/itsmylife/emotions/depression. A comprehensive look at kids and depression. Answers the big questions: What is depression and what causes it?
– www.kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/thought/sadness.html. Unsure if that sadness you feel might be depression? This site can help.
– www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/5400/depression.html. Loads of information, resources, and links to other sites and Web pages of others who have dealt with depression.
– www.wingofmadness.com/articles/teens.htm. Good site for teens with advice for talking to parents about what you are feeling.
Positive music for tweens is her goal
By Ashley C. and Michelle L., Tribune Newspapers. Ashley C., 10, and Michelle L., 11, are reporters for Newsday’s Kidsday.
We recently interviewed 17-year-old singer Stacie Orrico. Her debut album has produced two really good songs, “Stuck” and “More to Life.” Orrico writes her own songs, and at age 12 began professionally singing gospel music.
Q. Do you have advice for girls who want to become singers?
A. There are so many young women who are talented and have great voices. I think that the most important part of being an artist and a singer is so much more than just being able to sing. You have to be smart and prepared to work really hard. You have to have a real sense of what sets you apart from other artists.
Q. Are you glad you became a singer?
A. I feel like this is what I have been called to do. I feel like this is God’s plan. This has helped me continue even when it is really hard. Sometimes, I feel like I wish I didn’t have to think about all this business stuff, and [could] just be a 17-year-old. I really want to make music for girls your age and give you something positive to listen to.
Q. What is your favorite song on the album?
A. “Maybe I Won’t Look Back.”
Q. Is anyone else a singer in your family?
A. My whole family is musical. My parents met each other singing in a group at college. There are five siblings, and we all sing, but I am the only one doing it professionally.
Q. What is in your future?
A. I will continue to sing and make music. I would love to write for others someday. I hope to get married one day and become a mom. I would love to go to college. I think I will take a little time off first and then go to college.
Q. What hobbies do you have besides singing?
A. I like designing clothes. If I were to go to college, it would be for that.
Need a hand with that homework?
Up to your ears in homework? We thought so. We also thought you ought to know about a Web site that can help make doing that homework fun. (Or at least less difficult.)
Check out www.kids.gov. It’s actually a bunch of sites that the government has put together with lots of kid-friendly (and that means homework- and report-friendly) facts.
You can use the Smithsonian’s encyclopedia to find out about mummies. Or learn how many kids there are in your state. Or take a virtual “field trip” with the FBI to find out how the bureau solves crimes.
One of our favorite sites within this big site is called “Puzzle Solvers of Cryptic Manor,” under the Computer section. It also has all sorts of fun and scary puzzles, including secret codes and math puzzles.
— The Washington Post
