Approximately 2.7 million children aged three to 17 in the United States have depression. This mental health condition is of serious concern, affecting not only how they perform in school but also how they interact with their peers and feel about themselves. Signs of depression in school students can vary depending on age, so it’s important to know what to look for.
What Is Depression? More Than Feeling Blue
Depression is a mental health condition that affects how the child feels, how they act, and how they think. This mood disorder can make children feel hopeless, sad, or irritable and can affect their appetites as well as their sleeping patterns.
For many children, depression and anxiety appear together. Children can experience excessive worry or even panic about everyday situations, and that can lead to depression.
Depression is treatable, but it’s important to get the child help as soon as possible to prevent the symptoms from getting worse.
Signs of Depression in School Students
Depression in school students presents with varied signs and symptoms as well as varied severities, so knowing how it affects different age ranges can help you identify what’s normal and what’s not.
Keep in mind that a diagnosis of depression applies if the symptoms last for at least two weeks.
Elementary School Students
Symptoms of depression in school students who are very young include being sad most of the time. You may notice they don’t want to engage with their peers, not even to play. Other signs include:
- Poor concentration
- Inability to enjoy favorite activities
- Low energy levels
- Frequent complaints of headaches or stomach aches
- Extreme sensitivity to failure or criticism
- Changes in eating habits
It’s common for children in elementary school who are dealing with depression to start being absent more often as well.
Middle School Students
The symptoms of depression in middle school students can be similar to those of elementary school children, but there can also be discipline issues to watch for.
Middle school students with depression can be more irritable and even aggressive. Feeling worthless and unintelligent are other concerns that can appear.
The middle school years are when bullying can worsen. Children who behave a bit differently from the rest can be especially at risk of being targeted. Watch for signs of the child being picked on or made fun of.
Highschool Children
Depression can become complex when it comes to pre-teens and teens. The signs might not be as overt as with younger children.
Some of these include:
- Drastic changes in eating habits
- Obsessing about shortcomings
- Speaking about feeling worthless
- Feeling shame
- Isolating
- Abandoning favorite activities
- Engaging in risky behavior
- Feeling hopeless about the future
The child may exhibit more visible anger than sadness, which can lead to disciplinary problems. Additionally, the lack of energy to do anything can cause issues with schoolwork.
Root Causes of Depression in Youth
The causes of depression in school children can vary, but there are some common reasons a child may struggle with depression symptoms.
A child’s environment plays a huge role in their mental health. Children who do not have a stable home or who see or experience abuse in any form are more likely to struggle with depression. To flourish, a child needs a predictable and nurturing home environment.
The causes of depression in school children also include living through stressful events. They don’t necessarily have to be negative events; positive but stressful developments can lead to depression as well. Such events can include moving into a new home, having a new sibling, families joining, and more.
Negative events typically pose the highest risk of a child developing depression. Seeing parents going through a divorce, living with someone with an illness, or experiencing financial issues can all impact children and teens.
Other causes of depression in school students can include chemical and hormonal imbalances in the brain. Imbalances of serotonin, for example, can quickly lead to depression, while imbalances of norepinephrine and/or dopamine can point to issues like ADHD, which can also appear alongside depression.
Family history can also have a huge impact on depression in school children. Children who have close relatives who suffer from depression are more likely to develop the problem at a young age. This can occur because of potential genetic links that can be passed down as well as from the strain that having someone with depression in the household can put on the home environment.
Emotional contagion theory refers to a phenomenon where emotional states are contagious, leading to the spread of emotional states within groups. If a parent or a teacher is experiencing depression, their emotional state can affect the overall emotional atmosphere of the home or classroom. This environment may, in turn, impact a student, potentially triggering depressive symptoms.
Children who have physical illnesses or disabilities are also more likely to develop depression. Chronic illnesses are even more likely to lead to a mood disorder.
Drugs and alcohol abuse can also lead to depression. Drugs and alcohol create imbalances in the brain that can make it more difficult to experience pleasure. They can be particularly harmful to children and teens because their brains are still not fully formed.
Turning to Rachel’s Challenge for Help
Depression is a serious mood disorder that can affect anyone — including children of all ages. If depression goes untreated, it can lead to harmful behaviors that can put the child’s life at risk. But there is help out there.
At Rachel’s Challenge, we focus on helping children understand they’re not alone. Isolation and lack of connections with peers can worsen and cause mental health concerns, and that’s what we strive to fix. By letting children see that reaching out to others is healthy and necessary, we show them there’s always a lifeline within reach.
We offer live programs for schools as well as online programs that can allow for more versatility. To help educators and school administrators, we also provide programs catered to them.
By giving children a chance to break away from that sense of isolation and helping educators guide them in doing so, we offer services all schools can depend on. Contact Rachel’s Challenge today to schedule an event or to learn more about our programs.
