Teen Health Issues|Just another WordPress weblog

When parents decide to live separately, it is a very traumatic situation for a child. How upset the child feels can vary depending on how their parents separated, the age of the child, how much he understands, and the support he gets from family and friends.

The most difficult question – How to tell the child?

It’s best if both parents tell the child about the divorce together. Make sure the children understand that you both still love them and will take care of them. Speak honestly and simply.

Many children have miconceptions about having to choose a parent or even having to go to court. So it is important that you both educate your children together about what to expect in the coming months and reassure them that you will always be a family, although not living together.

Listen to you children’s concerns. Encourage your children to talk so you can remove mis-perceptions.
What you as a parent must do to help your child?

Listen and Talk. Just listening to your children’s concerns and feelings is enough to provide them great relief – you don’t have to be a solver of all problems. Sometimes just listening is enough.

Good communication with your children is important. Explain as much as possible about the situation and provide them information about:

• Where they will stay.
• Where they will go to school.
• When they may see the other parent.

Parents must:

• Make sure that children know they still have two parents who love them, and will continue to care for them protect their children from adult responsibilities
• Make it clear that the responsibility for what is happening is the parents’. Children need to be reassured that the divorce was not their fault.
• Don’t speak negatively to your child about the other parent or extended family, or friends. Support the child’s love and relationship with the other parent. Children need continuous contact with both parents to increase their adjustment.
• Do not advocate, either with words or actions, that your child is disloyal if he enjoys time with the other parent.
• Children often feel “stuck in the middle” when they are expected to carry messages, make phone calls, or spy on the other parent. Don’t make children carry out these roles.
• Keep the routine the same in both homes regarding bedtimes, meals, visits with friends or relatives, and discipline. This reassures children they are being well cared for. Children need consistency and stability. This will help your child feel that, in spite of the difficulties, loved ones still care about them and that life can be reasonably normal.

If you and your spouse live happily separately, your children are also more likely to be happy. Be optimistic about a happy future for everyone – optimism is contagious. If you cope well with the changes, your children will likely follow your lead.

Many psychiatric drugs have not been satisfactorily tested in paediatric patients, and some drug combinations occasionally prescribed for children – particularly stimulants and antidepressants – have not been fully tested even in adults. So, we don’t know for sure the risks or the benefits of these medications.

Children’s bodies do not absorb drugs and eliminate toxins similarly as adult bodies, and their brains may get affected also. Depression and other conditions for which the drugs are prescribed may have long-lasting deadly effects on the psychological and social development of a kid.

Children with depression are more likely to have other health problems and engage in risky behaviour, such as promiscuity, smoking, drugs and alcohol. Risks of medicating and the risks of not medicating are greatest in the early years of life.

The thumb rule is caution in prescribing antidepressants to children. They should be neither a first nor a last resort. If given, anti-depressants should not be stopped abruptly, because it may lead to a withdrawal syndrome that includes dizziness, nausea, seizures and anxiety.

Side effects of anti-depressants:

Children can continue to take the drug if it seems to be helping, but they should be watched closely for side effects.

The side effects vary depending on the drug, but can include:

• Insomnia
• Sleepiness
• Increased anxiety
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrohea
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Weight gain or loss

Beware! Anti depressants can trigger off suicidal behaviour!

Signs that a child is at risk of suicidal behaviour while taking an antidepressant

The highest risk of suicidal thinking occurs during the first few months of treatment or when a medication dosage is increased or decreased.

Possible signs of worsening depression include:

• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Insomnia or other sleeping problems
• Hostility
• Unexplained declines in academic performance
• Withdrawing from relationships
• Spending more time alone

Suicide due to depression is the third leading cause of death among children between ages 10 to 19.

If your child is on anti-depressants, when should he discontinue?

This decision should be made on an individual basis with advise from doctor. Suddenly stopping medication can leave them without appropriate treatment and increases the risk of withdrawal-like symptoms. A doctor can help your child taper off medication to minimize withdrawal.

What is the alternative to antidepressant?

Warnings on anti-depressants don’t prohibit their use in children, nor are they meant to frighten people away from treating their children.

But if you’re not comfortable with antidepressants, counselling is an option. However, counselling (individual as well as family) alone may not be sufficient to effectively treat depression, especially in more severe cases. A combination of medication and psychotherapy offers the best treatment approach for youngsters down with depression.

Do you know?

Currently, Prozac (fluoxetine) is the only approved medicine to treat major depression in children and adolescents, while Prozac, Zoloft and Anafranil are approved for obsessive-compulsive disorder in paediatric patients. No other antidepressant drug is FDA approved for treatment of any psychiatric condition in children.

Earlier it was believed that only adults developed depression and that children and teens could not. We now know that even a young child can develop serious depression that requires treatment to improve. However, symptoms of depression in children and teens can be difficult to recognize.

What causes depression in kids?

Causes are still unknown, however it can be triggered by:

• Stressful life events, such as a loss of a family member or relative.
• Having a parent or immediate family member who is depressed.
• Having a long-term medical illness such as diabetes or epilepsy.
• Having another mental disorder, such as anxiety disorder.
• Being physically or sexually abused.
• Having problems with alcohol or drugs.
• Genetic (inherited). Children with a family history of depression are much more likely to become depressed, especially if they have a parent who is presently depressed.
• Being a girl in early puberty. After puberty and as adults, females are twice as likely as males to become depressed.
• Family conflicts, especially between parents.

How to diagnose depression in kids:

• Always tired, plays sick
• Drops out of favourite activities – social withdrawal
• Has more arguments with parents, friends and teachers
• Refuses to do homework or loses interest in school
• Engages in harmful behaviour, such as cutting himself or herself
• Has suicidal thoughts.
• Physical symptoms e.g., stomach aches and headaches, hallucinations, and extreme fears.

What happens, if left untreated?

Depression in children, if untreated, can affect:

• school performance and learning,
• social interactions and development of normal peer relationships,
• self-esteem and a child’s sense of bonding and trust,
• can lead to drug abuse, disruptive behaviours, violence and aggression,
• even lead to suicide

Childhood depression is a serious problem that demands a serious medical approach. However, you need to first recognize what is causing it.

How to treat depression in kids?

Treatment for childhood and teen depression includes a combination of professional counselling, medications, and family co-operation.

Home treatment and family involvement:

Do everything possible to provide a supportive and understanding family environment to your child. Love, understanding, and regular communication are some of the most important things you should provide to help your child cope with depression. Make him feel that you are there for him always.

Good lifestyle habits can help reduce your child’s symptoms of depression. Encourage your child to:

• * Get regular exercise, such as swimming, walking.
• * Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs.
• * Get enough sleep
• * Eat a balanced diet.
• * Be optimistic about feeling better. Positive thinking is very important in recovering from depression.

Some symptoms of depression in children and teens may remain, even with medication and other treatment. Early treatment of depression may bring about the best results for your child. Think positive, recovery will happen, but gradually.

Depression in Kids

Earlier it was believed that only adults developed depression and that children and teens could not. Now know that even a young child develops serious depression that requires treatment to improve. However, symptoms of depression in children and teens are difficult to recognize.

Causes of stress is unknown, however it can be triggered by: Stressful life events, such as a loss of a family member or relative. Having a parent or immediate family member who is depressed can also trigger it. Having a long-term medical illness such as diabetes or epilepsy.

Children And Antidepressants

Many psychiatric drugs have not been satisfactorily tested in paediatric patients, and some drug combinations are occasionally prescribed for children, especially stimulants and antidepressants that have not been fully tested even in adults. So, we cannot completely asses the risks or the benefits of these medications.

Children’s bodies do not absorb drugs and eliminate toxins similarly as adult bodies, and their brains may get affected also. Depression and other conditions for which the drugs are prescribed may have long-lasting deadly effects on the psychological and social development of a kid.

Helping Children to Cope With Parents Divorce

When the parents decide to live separately, it is a very traumatic situation for a child. How upset the child feels can vary depending on how their parents separated, the age of the child, how much he understands, and the support he gets from family and friends.

The most difficult question – How to tell the child?

It is best if both parents tell the child about the divorce together. Make sure the children understand that you both still love them and will still take care of them. Speak honestly and simply.

Many children have miconceptions about having to choose a parent or even having to go to court. So it is very important to educate your children together about what to expect in the coming months and reassure them that you will always be a family, although not living together.