Child and Adolescent Depression
Children as young as 5 years old can show similar symptoms to depressed adults including:
- Sadness
- Irritability
- Physical or somatic symptoms
- Sleep disturbance
- Guilt and self-blame
- Thoughts of self-harm and suicide
- Social withdrawal
At Bower Place understanding depression in children and adolescents is an area of expertise. We think of it as intense sadness and despair as the term depression implies an illness, rather than a reaction to difficult circumstances.
How we can help
Our practitioners work with young people, their families or those who support and care for them to identify and address past or current experiences that make life feel grey, or too painful to want to live.
While there is little doubt that some children and adolescents are more sensitive to difficult personal and social circumstances, it is the relationship with the external world that creates despair. This become our focus to understand and change.
We generally don’t support the use of medication for children or adolescents given the evidence of increased risk of self-harm and suicide.
At Bower Place we work with children and adolescents to help them overcome their sadness and despair so they can find joy in life again.