Children and teens who are experiencing depression often feel sad, depressed, or down. They may also have other symptoms as well. These symptoms include:
- Feeling less interested in activities that they like to do
- Feeling irritable
- Feeling bored
- Loss of appetite or increased appetite
- Problems concentrating
- Problems sleeping
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive, inappropriate guilt
- Moving slower than usual or alternatively being fidgety
- Thinking and/or talking about death
- Suicidal ideation
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one evidence based practice for treating depression in children and teens. CBT proposes that people make evaluations about different areas of their lives, and based on how they are seeing what’s happening, conclude that they should feel depressed. When participating in CBT, your child’s therapist will help your child to consider the ways that they are evaluating different parts of their lives, and help them to look at things differently. Your child’s therapist will also likely encourage them to engage in naturally rewarding activities.
Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is another evidence based treatment for depression. IPT suggests that youth feel depressed when they have a lack of fulfilling interpersonal relationships in their lives. When participating in IPT, your therapist will help your child to examine the ways that they are relating to other people. They will encourage your child to review their interactions with others, then highlight ways that your child may be pushing people away without realizing it. Then, your child’s therapist will help them learn to relate more effectively to other people by practicing new interactions with them in the office.