Depression in Children
Praise your children openly, reprehend them secretly
Depression is a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. These problems can become chronic or recurrent and lead to substantial impairments in an individual's ability to take care of his or her everyday responsibilities. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide, a tragic fatality associated with the loss of about 850 000 lives every year.
Depression is the leading cause of disability. Depression is leading contributor to the global burden of disease. By the year 2020, depression is projected to reach 2nd place in causing deaths as per the latest report of the world health organization.
But today depression is not something that affects only adults. Increasingly more and more children and teenagers are becoming victims of depression. People say that childhood is the happiest time of one’s life. This statement is not necessarily true. We didn’t have many responsibilities in our childhood, but we didn’t have much freedom. We may not have faced any worries, but how many of us had stayed up nights worrying about grades? How many of us had worried that we had failed in exams? How many of us were teased in schools? Yes childhood is great, but is not worry free. Any person whether a man or a woman, no matter how old, how rich or how successful is he or she, is immune to sadness, and for this reason, everyone is susceptible to depression.
Everyone assumes that children have nothing to worry about that is why they think that childhood depression doesn’t exist. Considering that there is so much a parent can do to ensure a happier childhood for their child. Depression in children is different from depression in adults, which often goes unnoticed. Then when a seemingly normal teenager takes his life, his parents are devastated and wonder if they could have done anything to prevent the suicide. A number of reasons can cause depression. Mood swings, Difficulty in sleeping, Anger, temper tantrums, rage, Difficulty eating, Sadness, Loss of interest in activities usually enjoyed, Irritability. Many of these symptoms are common in many children. What you need to look out for is if any of these symptoms. In fact, any unexplained change in your child's behavior is something you need to look into. Child's depression may last for a short while and go away with time, but it would be best if you could work your child through this period and give him your support.
Masturbation
Masturbation a type of self abuse, children resort to this type of abuse as a means of self pleasure. Due to parental negligence, a child finds pleasure in masturbation. A point that should be made clear here that masturbation has no physical or mental side effects until taken to an extreme. But the child definitely goes through the fear of being caught with his pants down and brought to shame. This fear leads to an extreme state of anxiety that would require proper Studies have shown that a tendency towards masturbation in very young children should be totally ignored. This kind of behavioral disorder generally affects those who come from broken homes and are totally neglected by their parents who have absolutely no time for them. If they do not get it from others they give it to themselves. if it gives them pleasure, as masturbation most certainly does, it becomes a habit disorder and is most difficult to give up. The child tends to get entirely lost in this pleasure seeking activity and some even seem to enjoy it without any shame or fear. In some cases it is poor housing facilities combined with inadequate sleeping arrangements that provide plenty of opportunity for child abuse. In a normal household, with the correct sort of upbringing, no healthy child would just take to this kind of disorder without any cause. It is only if he or she is very lonely and does not have friends or siblings to play with and no entertainment or pleasure seeking activity to participate in, do such problems arise. The way a person or a child sleeps tells a lot about his personality. Sleeping positions vary from person to person. Sleeping positions of a person can tell their behaviour and personality.
Allow your Child to Pursue Alternative Career
Another important think we ignore, and by which a child feels depressed is when choosing a career or a particular field for the study. Many Indian parents want their child to pursue traditional type of careers like Doctor, Engineer, MBA, etc. However, with changing times and increasing competition it is essential for parents to allow their child to pursue alternative careers too. Every parent wants his or her child to be successful in life by choosing an appropriate career. But, forcing child to pursue a career of your own choice may become a burden for the child and thus he or she feels depressed. If your child possesses talent in a particular field, you should encourage that talent. Such encouragement will make an opportunity available for your child to pursue an alternative career.
Handling Success and Failure
A child should also be learnt to handle the success and failure. Success and failure go hand in hand. One has to learn to deal with them. It is very important to teach them about dealing with success and failure. A child who can deal with these is successful at every stage of life. In the past, children attended school in order to learn. Now, they are expected to be learned in order to get into school. Parents should have the ability to guide their children so that both their successes as well as their failures are positive learning experiences. Children soon learn how to look outwards and become aware of others' expectations of them. This leads them to entertain certain beliefs about their abilities. School can be quite stressful for children with constant examinations and competitions. Parents can help their children by making them perceive tests or projects. Thus instead of saying, "solve these problems quickly ", parents should say, "try to solve these problems". Parents should try to avoid categorizing their children's. Some parents discourage their children's achievements by being excessively critical, other parents achieve the same effect with excessive praise.
Violence And Your Child
Children are very vulnerable. They learn from their surroundings. We as a parent have to monitor our children at every step so that they grow up to be a good human being. Every time you criticize a neighbour, a relative or another religion, you are teaching your children to hate. Think before you speak. Anger towards other countries or any specific country. Dislike for Hindus or Muslims or Christians. Class clashes. What are we teaching our children, guys? Is this the world we want them to grow up in? Violence in movies and in other media seems to increase with every generation. A movie like this initiates the violence both in the minds of our children and adults. a parent, monitor what your child watches on TV? How many of us stop our children from watching a violent film? The more violence your child watches, the easier it gets for him to accept violence as a way of life.
Children Learn What They Live - Dorothy Law Neite
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child learns to feel shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement he learns confidence
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
He a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.
Don't be a parent your child is scared of - be a parent your child finds comfort in.
