Key points::
- Depression is the first cause of disability in the world. According to the WHO, more than 350 million people suffer from this lethal disease.
- Depression can arise from a stressful event that caused a major life impact or a combination of these factors.
- Approximately 5%, or one in 20 children and adolescents, will have a depressive episode before the age of 19.
Within the framework of the World Day Against Depression (January 13), we prioritize this disease that can end, in severe and untreated cases, in death. Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world, according to the WHO more than 350 million people suffer from this lethal disease, it can become chronic or recurrent and hinder performance at work or school and the ability to cope with daily life until suicide.
Depression can occur in people of all ages, children, adolescents, and older adults.
How can I know if I have depression?
Depression can occur once in a lifetime, although there are usually several episodes. The most common symptoms can appear throughout the day and usually are:
- Feelings of sadness, crying, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Outbursts of anger, irritability, frustration that arise even by minor matters.
- Loss of interest in usual activities such as hobbies, sports, or even sexual activity.
- Sleep disorders manifested as insomnia or oversleeping.
- Tiredness and lack of energy, so that even minimal tasks require considerable effort.
- Lack of appetite and weight loss, or vice versa, eating more and gaining weight.
- Anxiety or restlessness.
- Slow to reason, speak, and move.
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt and fixation on the past.
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things.
- Unexplained pain, such as back pain or headache.
- Frequent thoughts about death, suicide, or suicide attempts.
The symptoms can be so strong in some people that they can identify that something is wrong and they need to go to a psychiatric evaluation, however, others may feel unhappy or sad without really knowing why.
Can my children also suffer from depression?
Its causes are unknown, however, it may be due to genes, family or environmental behavior patterns. Although it can also arise from a stressful event that caused a great impact on the life of the person who suffers from it and it can even be a combination of these factors.
Approximately 5%, or one in 20 children and adolescents, will have a depressive episode before the age of 19. The reality is that less than half of these children receive adequate treatment, and studies show that parents often seriously underestimate the intensity of their children’s depression.
Symptoms are often different between a child and an adolescent:
- Symptoms in young children may include sadness, irritability, clinging, worry, pain for no reason, refusal to go to school, and being underweight.
- Teenagers may exhibit sadness, irritability, being negative and feeling worthless, angry, underachieving, or not wanting to go to school, feeling misunderstood and overly sensitive, using drugs, drinking alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self-harming, losing interest in usual activities, and avoid social interaction.
At ABC Medical Center’s Neurology Center, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!
Fuentes:
https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/ency/article/003213.htm
https://www.cun.es/enfermedades-tratamientos/enfermedades/depresion-infantil-adolescente
https://www.mayoclinic.org/es/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
