🧸 Depression doesn’t only affect adults. Children and teenagers can also experience deep emotional distress, though it often looks different from adult depression.

🧠 How Depression Can Show Up in Young People
Instead of appearing as sadness alone, depression in children and adolescents may include:

• Irritability or frequent anger
• Withdrawal from friends, family, or activities they once enjoyed
• Changes in sleep patterns or appetite
• Declining school performance or loss of motivation
• Physical complaints such as headaches or stomach aches
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

Recognising these patterns early allows for timely support.

🏠 Why Depression Develops in Childhood and Adolescence
Several factors can contribute, including:

• Academic pressure or bullying
• Family conflict, separation, or loss
• Social media comparison and online stress
• Trauma or ongoing instability
• Difficulty coping with big emotions during developmental changes

These stressors can overwhelm a young person’s still-developing emotional regulation skills.

🫂 How Parents and Caregivers Can Help
Supportive responses make a powerful difference:

• Create a safe, non-judgmental space for conversation
• Listen without minimising or rushing to “fix” the problem
• Maintain routines that provide structure and predictability
• Encourage healthy sleep, movement, and connection
• Seek professional support when symptoms persist

Children don’t need perfect parents — they need present, responsive ones.

🌿 Final Thoughts 💞🌈
Depression in children and adolescents is real, treatable, and deserving of care.

Early recognition, compassion, and professional guidance can help young people feel seen, supported, and hopeful.

When adults take children’s emotional pain seriously, healing becomes possible.