Dealing With Depression: Common Warning Signs For When Your Child Needs Help

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The number of cases of childhood depression are on the rise, in part due to the pandemic. How do you know when your child is dealing with depression or if they're just going through a rough patch?

Parents know their children, and when the kids get withdrawn or quiet, parents worry. Here are some things you can watch out for:

Professionals who help children all the time say each child is different, but there are common warning signs.

Sara Banks, a licensed professional counselor and Dr. Matthew Sanchez, a child adolescent psychiatrist, both see a wide range of symptoms among children that point to depression.

From sleep disturbance to a persistent lack of enjoyment, to no longer engaging with friends and isolating more often, those are just some of the signs that experts say parents can spot.

Banks and Dr. Sanchez both say that an intervention should be considered when these signs are consistent over a long period of time, particularly when it extends over at least two weeks.

The first natural step when intervening is to talk to the kids.

Dr. Sanchez says the best way to go about this to to speak with open-ended questioning, asking things like "How are you feeling?" or "How are things going?"

If asking the children directly doesn't work out, experts suggest reaching out to a school counselor, a pediatrician, or a therapist.

Dr. Sanchez says the children may be more open to counseling than you think.

"They really do end up wanting to talk about what's been going on. Talk about what's been stressing them out," Dr. Sanchez said.

If talking doesn't work, there's a point where medications are indicated, and what that can mean for the long-term picture.

Medication is rarely the first 'go to' for the professionals trying to help children. If treatment isn't effective, exploring a medication trial is often the next step.

"Sometimes medication can help them do the things that they need to do to get out to engage with their peers. All the behavioral things that need to occur," Banks said.

The medications that are prescribed aren't necessarily something the children will be on for a lifetime.

"If it's a situational and environmental thing that's occurring, then it doesn't have to be," Banks said.

"If symptoms seem to improve significantly, then we keep someone on the medicine for at least six months. We usually say 12 months and then will be able to reevaluate at that time," Dr. Sanchez said.

When drugs are called for, experts say there can be a period of experimenting to find the right drug and the right dose.

But again, medication is generally only considered after weeks of therapy are tried first.

Experts say a good place to start the depression conversation is with the child's pediatrician.