I think my 6 year-old is depressed

[8circles]

Ill be calling the dr tomorrow. I've checked-out Help me, Im sad from the library.

 

Any BTDT? Any words of encouragement?

 

Im so sad for him. I wish I had thought of this sooner but I didn't know such young kids could be depressed.

[CatholicMom]

Oh no, I'm sorry. That must be very hard to see. I'm sure you've tried talking to him about it. Is there a specific reason? If he said there's not, is there anything you can think of that happened that you could fix... that maybe he can't articulate?

 

Is he getting enough sleep?

 

Just throwing thoughts out there.

 

I don't know if you're Christians, but when my kids are upset and I pray with them it seems to help make them feel better. Maybe you could pray with him? You could also find some encouraging scripture verses that you could read together and maybe put on index cards that he could carry around? Just a thought.

 

I don't know a ton about it, but I would be careful to not let your regular pediatrician diagnose and treat this with meds. I've read that regular pediatricians are not experts in mental health issues and that it is highly recommended that you take the child to a psychologist for an evaluation and diagnosis.

 

:grouphug: Hope you can figure out what's going on.

[MHowell]

I have some experience with this, a friend of dd's attempted suicide last year- at 8 years old. I'm really close to her mom, and was there through a lot of it.

 

Right now she is combining therapy and medication for treatment, and you can see a difference.

 

I want to give you a big :grouphug: and say that you are not alone (nor is he), and it sounds like you are being proactive in his treatment, which is MUCH better than waiting for a large, traumatic event.

[Geo]

I think that's wise. :grouphug: You're a good mom.

[mom4him]

Ill be calling the dr tomorrow. I've checked-out Help me, Im sad from the library.

 

Any BTDT? Any words of encouragement?

 

Im so sad for him. I wish I had thought of this sooner but I didn't know such young kids could be depressed.

 

I would look at two things other than what has been recommended, diet/possible alergies/sensitivities and air environment. Both can have a big influence on emotions.

[8circles]

Oh no, I'm sorry. That must be very hard to see. I'm sure you've tried talking to him about it. Is there a specific reason? If he said there's not, is there anything you can think of that happened that you could fix... that maybe he can't articulate?

 

Is he getting enough sleep?

 

Just throwing thoughts out there.

 

I don't know if you're Christians, but when my kids are upset and I pray with them it seems to help make them feel better. Maybe you could pray with him? You could also find some encouraging scripture verses that you could read together and maybe put on index cards that he could carry around? Just a thought.

 

I don't know a ton about it, but I would be careful to not let your regular pediatrician diagnose and treat this with meds. I've read that regular pediatricians are not experts in mental health issues and that it is highly recommended that you take the child to a psychologist for an evaluation and diagnosis.

 

:grouphug: Hope you can figure out what's going on.

 

Thanks. We are Christian and it does help when we pray.

 

I don't expect the ped to dx, just discuss possible physical causes & recommend a therapist, if needed.

 

[sigh]

[8circles]

I have some experience with this, a friend of dd's attempted suicide last year- at 8 years old. I'm really close to her mom, and was there through a lot of it.

 

Right now she is combining therapy and medication for treatment, and you can see a difference.

 

I want to give you a big :grouphug: and say that you are not alone (nor is he), and it sounds like you are being proactive in his treatment, which is MUCH better than waiting for a large, traumatic event.

 

Oh no! How frightening. So glad she's improving with the treatment.

Thanks for your encouragement.

[8circles]

I think that's wise. :grouphug: You're a good mom.

 

Thank you for your kind words.

[8circles]

I would look at two things other than what has been recommended, diet/possible alergies/sensitivities and air environment. Both can have a big influence on emotions.

 

Thanks. He has no allergies (ds8 does so we're familiar ). Air quality shouldn't be an issue. We've tried a couple different elimination diets in the past year but noticed no change.

[PrincessMommy]

It so wonderful you have spotted this. My teenager was dx with depression at 15 and she said she'd been feeling that way for 6 years! I felt like a horrible mother. How could I not notice my girl was so sad? How could I be so oblivious? It had to get to the point where it was nearly a crisis for me to see. :grouphug: I hope you get some good answers from the doctors. Praying for you.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I am so sorry. I hope you get the help you need for your little one.

I wanted to thank you. Our youngest is having major issues and the book you listed got me on a proactive search for help. I got that one from the library and bought a recommendation that was near it. I am praying for yours and mine. :grouphug:

[KristenR]

:grouphug:

 

Keeping you and your little one in my thoughts and prayers.

[ktgrok]

Any health issues? Any diarrhea? Celiac can cause vitamin malabsorption, which can cause mental illness like symptoms.

[8circles]

Any health issues? Any diarrhea? Celiac can cause vitamin malabsorption, which can cause mental illness like symptoms.

 

You, know, I've thought about Celiac but he really doesn't have any of those GI symptoms. Not really. Not to give TMI but its almost-diarrhea, but not quite. Pretty much all the time.

 

We went gluten-free for him last year for about a month but I wasn't as in-tune with the depression symptoms at the time. I didn't notice any significant change otherwise. Maybe we'll revisit.

 

Thank you.

[8circles]

I am so sorry. I hope you get the help you need for your little one.

I wanted to thank you. Our youngest is having major issues and the book you listed got me on a proactive search for help. I got that one from the library and bought a recommendation that was near it. I am praying for yours and mine. :grouphug:

 

Thank you. Likewise. :grouphug:

 

:grouphug:

 

Keeping you and your little one in my thoughts and prayers.

 

Thank you.

[Teachin'Mine]

I'm glad he'll be seeing his doctor as you can discuss the possibility of celiac. Is he this depressed all year, or is it worse this winter? I'm wondering if it could partially be lack of sunlight - SAD. Praying you get some answers and he can start to feel better. :grouphug:

[Jill]

You, know, I've thought about Celiac but he really doesn't have any of those GI symptoms. Not really. Not to give TMI but its almost-diarrhea, but not quite. Pretty much all the time.

 

We went gluten-free for him last year for about a month but I wasn't as in-tune with the depression symptoms at the time. I didn't notice any significant change otherwise. Maybe we'll revisit.

 

Celiac disease is no longer defined by diarrhea and failure to thrive. It can be asymptomatic and/or manifest only as iron deficiency or anemia; it can manifest as a psychiatric disorder. Please look at this page for a list of common symptoms (though there are still about 280 other symptoms possible): http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/living-with-celiac/guide/symptoms

 

My son did not have what anyone would call "chronic diarrhea" though he had loose stools most of the time with occasional diarrhea. He was very moody however. He did not have "failure to thrive" and has never been "short in stature". One of his cousins whose test was high positive was similar. Ds's anti-tTg blood test (pretty specific to celiac) was the highest his pediatrician has ever seen but he does not fit the old model of a celiac.

 

A CBC (complete blood count) could give hints if there is a vitamin or mineral deficiency (iron, B12 and folate deficiency being common in celiac). We just went straight for the celiac blood panel so I don't have any experience with that. There are also other possible malabsorption issues but celiac is vastly underdiagnosed in the US so it's not crazy to check.

[Pippen]

I would also suggest that you look into sleep issues if you haven't already. Hours of sleep don't always translate into restorative sleep for children and research is showing links between childhood depression and sleep issues and/or disorders. A sleep study would be required to diagnose issues in this area.

[8circles]

Celiac disease is no longer defined by diarrhea and failure to thrive. It can be asymptomatic and/or manifest only as iron deficiency or anemia; it can manifest as a psychiatric disorder. Please look at this page for a list of common symptoms (though there are still about 280 other symptoms possible): http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/living-with-celiac/guide/symptoms

 

My son did not have what anyone would call "chronic diarrhea" though he had loose stools most of the time with occasional diarrhea. He was very moody however. He did not have "failure to thrive" and has never been "short in stature". One of his cousins whose test was high positive was similar. Ds's anti-tTg blood test (pretty specific to celiac) was the highest his pediatrician has ever seen but he does not fit the old model of a celiac.

 

A CBC (complete blood count) could give hints if there is a vitamin or mineral deficiency (iron, B12 and folate deficiency being common in celiac). We just went straight for the celiac blood panel so I don't have any experience with that. There are also other possible malabsorption issues but celiac is vastly underdiagnosed in the US so it's not crazy to check.

 

Thanks for all this info - I didn't know this.

 

Thanks to everyone else as well. I haven't connected with the dr yet as this isn't an emergency & today was just really busy. I'll hopefully reach him tomorrow.