Experience Journal: Pediatric Depression

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Symptoms of Depression

Families need to share the knowledge that depression is not "having a bad day" or feeling the normal pain of losing a job or a relationship. It is a diagnosis in which a set constellation of symptoms comes together and is accompanied by an underlying biological disorder. The core symptoms are:

1. A persistent sadness, manifested by feeling down and blue and crying almost every day and/or

2. A persistent loss of pleasure in almost all activities

One of these must persist for two weeks or more to meet the formal diagnostic definition of depression, but they often last far longer and they often occur together.

Beyond one or both of these symptoms, depression is an associated set of changes in seven additional areas. These are:

3. Loss of energy and fatigue

4. Diminished appetite or increased appetite accompanied by weight gain or loss of ten pounds or more

5. Changes in sleeping with either excessive sleeping or sleeplessness, often with early-morning awakening

6. Periods of agitation or of being slowed down in speech and action

7. Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or excessive guilt

8. Indecisiveness and inability to make decisions

9. Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideas, wishes to be dead, or an actual suicide attempt (27-28)

This passage was taken from When a Parent is Depressed, a book written for families facing depression. When a Parent is Depressed is published by Little, Brown, and Company and can be purchased at your local bookstore, through the publisher’s website (www.twbookmark.com), or at any major online book retailer.

	The diagnosis and treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders requires consultation with trained medical professionals. The information provided on this website is not intended as medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for seeking professional care if you have any questions concerning your medical or psychiatric health or the medical or psychiatric health of your child. This website is intended for parents and older adolescents, and contains candid discussions about the impact of depression. Young children should not view this site unless they have a parent or therapist present.

		Copyright © 2010 Children's Hospital Boston Department of Psychiatry. All Rights Reserved. [ACKNOWLEDGMENTS]