Depression is on the rise in kids—but the signs are hard to recognize WorldSuicidePreventionDay WSPD2019 WSPD SuicidePrevention
His parents call it “the Grey Dude,” the dark persona that overtakes their sweet son, Nicholas, telling him hateful things about himself and clouding him in despair. When a depressive episode sets in, everything is filtered through this smog, and the pain becomes so unbearable that he wants to escape this life.
Everything from genetics to bullying can contribute to depression, but many experts are making connections between the rise of the mental illness with the increase in kids’ use of screens and social media. The trouble is, young kids often don’t yet understand their emotions or know how to express them, which can make it extra difficult to notice when the Grey Dude first arrives. And yet it’s vitally important to catch the illness in these formative years, before the darkness takes hold.
“Something would happen to trigger the emotion, and then she’d go to the extreme,” says Sarah. As a tween, Amy would “spew venom.” She seemed angry, not depressed, but after years of experience with Emily, Sarah recognized that her daughter’s rage was caused by a deep sadness. After Amy tried to overdose on pills at age 13, she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and got treatment.
In another study, Twenge reported teens who used devices in excess of three hours a day were 35 percent more likely to have at least one suicide risk factor. There’s a dearth of research on kids under 12. But the average child receives their first cellphone at age 10, nearly half of kids under nine have their own tablet and most toddlers know how to navigate their parents’ devices—it’s likely issues could be developing earlier.
At the same time that kids are grappling with the new challenges brought on by carrying their social circles in their pockets, they also seem less equipped to cope. Kathleen Pajer, chief of psychiatry at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, says more kids are turning to hurting themselves to deal with the stresses in their lives—whether they have a mental illness or not. “There is a huge increase in visits to the emergency room and in-house admissions for mental health problems.
Depression is actually quite treatable through psychosocial therapies, Bancroft says, though it is something most patients will struggle with their whole lives. Parental involvement is key. He says many kids who are treated for depression will start with cognitive behavioural therapy , which helps patients challenge “cognitive distortions,” those hateful thoughts that kids like Nicholas have, telling them they’re not good enough, smart enough or likeable enough.
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