Adults and parents may notice when their children become fretful, reckless or having difficulty in relationships with others. What we may not notice is why children behave that way and what we can do to help them overcome those behavioral problems.
One possible cause is depression in children. It may seems absurd to realize that depression is happening in our children lives nowadays. Depression is a mood disorder and it usually associated with symptoms, such as:
- Psychosomatic – non-specific physical complaints: headaches, stomach ache, tiredness, etc.
- Losing interest – suddenly dislike their favorite things
- Complaining, crying, easily irritated, shouting
- Bored, lack of interest to play with friends
- Social isolation
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty in making up mind
We can help our children by taking them to child psychologist or other professional helper that can arrange such treatments or therapy. For a starter, we can ask children to join in group activities. Many group activities are arranged to meet the needs of our children. They may not be able to talk of what they need, but if we are aware enough, we can help them right away.
Many groups activities (not restricted):
- Scouts – for children with low self-esteem, lack of confident and self-discipline.
- Sports – for children with hyperactivity problems.
- Dancing and other art activities – for children with low self-esteem but have a need to express themselves.
Before placing our children into any support groups, make sure that they really interested with the activities. Because if we push them to join, then it may severe the depression, instead of helping them out.
By joining a group, children will learn to know themselves better and others as well. It will help them to feel better about themselves, because they will see that they are not alone. Children may feel depressed when they think that they are alone, that nobody else ever facing the same problems (family problems, bad grades, losing the loved ones, etc).
Way to go, Parents!
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