I've just taken just bits from the article cause its not online and I have to type it straight from the paper. Children as young as seven being treated for depression Paul Melia - Irish Independant - 7/11/05 Children as young as seven years of age are being treated for depression.But many young people suffering from mental illnesses must wait up to three years before seeing a consultant psychiatrist for treatment.Despite an estimated 17,000 minors suffering from depression and other disorders, there are just 55 specially trained psychiatrists serving the whole country - far less than the 150 recommended.And due to a shortage of dedicated beds, young people are being treated for serious mental conditions in adult psychiatric hospitals and in paediatric wards in hospitals....Dr Kieran Moore said around 6pc of the total health board budget is spent on mental health, with just 6pc of this spen on adolescent care.Irelan's record for providing care to young people falls far behind bst European practice. There is just one specialist psychiatrist for every 16,500 patients here, compared with one per 6,000 in Finland, one for every 7,000 in Sweden and one for 8,700 in Norway.-----------------------------------------------Just giving those who care the status of Mental Health facilities for young eople in Ireland. (Wow, I feel like Steve!)
-
The New Irish Depression
-
how do you diagnose a 7 year old kid with depression? i think their going over the top
-
Well, it happens. Its not the most common thing in the world but it does happen. One of the biggest problem is people have your belief that people that young don't suffer from depression, so its just ignored.
-
hmm, how do they find these kids? i mean when your an adult you can see that you might suffer from depression and go to the docs or whatever, but when your a kid you probably dont even realise that you have depression..they probably just pluck the wierd looking kid out from the classroom..
-
In reply to:
The signs of depression in children and adolescents include:
* Lack of interest in friends and activities
* Absences from school; drop in academic performance
* Withdrawal from family or social activities; decreased communication
* Increased crying, irritability, anger, reckless behavior, or mood swings
* Increase in vague, nonspecific physical complaints; fatigue
* Talking about or attempting to run away
* Complaints of being bored; talk of feeling hopeless
* Sadness
* Difficulty concentrating and organizing thoughts
* Significant change in appetite or body weight
* Sleep difficulties: too much or too little
* Feelings of worthlessness
* Overwhelming, inappropriate guilt
* Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
* Psychomotor agitation (constant movement) or retardation (loss of energy)
* Drug or alcohol abuse
In reply to:
In children age 3 and younger, the symptoms of depression may take the form of tantrums, feeding problems, and a decrease in playfulness and expressiveness.
For children between the ages of 3 and 5 years, depression may cause them to be more accident prone and to demonstrate more fears. They may over-apologize for minor mistakes because they feel guilty; or may express feelings of worthlessness because they think they are not living up to expectations.
Between the ages of 6 and 8 years, children with depression may have such symptoms as vague physical complaints such as muscle aches, stomachaches, or headaches. These children may become overly aggressive--become overly timid, clinging to their parents. They may withdraw from new situations or tasks they perceive as too difficult. By paying attention to when physical problems occur or what a child's fears are, parents may be able to discover important clues about the cause of their child's depression.
Older children between the ages of 9 and 12 may experience difficulty falling asleep at night as they worry about schoolwork, social relationships, their parents' perceptions of them. Over time, such anxious thoughts can evolve into a recurring pattern of morbid thinking.
Adolescents who experience depression may be hypersensitive and overreact to minor problems or embarrassments. They may run away, or indulge in self-harming behaviors like reckless driving or abusing alcohol or drugs. They may be easily annoyed, uncommunicative, or anxious and hopeless. Despite the popular myths, all adolescents do not experience intense emotional fluctuations that verge on psychiatric disorder. If an adolescent exhibits extreme behavior or emotional turmoil, then assessment and treatment is appropriate.
From The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
-
Ya got a complaint, tell Danasoft. They made it.
-
I'd be depressed too if my people were persecuted by the British for hundreds of years and I left for a new life in America just to be discriminated against and paid pennies a week and I drank a quart of whiskey a day.
-
Yeah, we're kinda over that, almost. And a lot of the current Irish didn't go to America, but half our population did in 1845, over 4 million people. Nobody really likes the British as a general people/society, but individuals are grand. well, some of them. The only people who have a serious problem are the ones fighting up the North.But all and all, I don't think that really has anything to do with depression in young people. A lot of young people here don't even know who Sinn Féin are.
-
ive had my depression since i was 7