What To Do When Your Child Is Depressed or Suffering From Depression

ADESUA IYOYOJIE 

If you think your child is seriously depressed, do not panic. Professional help is available for both your child and yourself.

Talk to your child’s school to find out if any teachers have also noticed changes in behavior and mood. Talking to your child’s teacher about his/her difficulties may change the way the teacher interacts with your child and can increase your child’s sense of self-esteem in the classroom.

Many schools have professional counselors on staff. The school counselor may be able refer you to individual or group counselling to help children with depression.

READ ALSO: Signs that Your Child Is Suffering From Depression

Here are some other tips on how to help your depressed child.

1.Encourage daily activity or exercise. Encourage your child to do some type of activity every day or incorporate it into the family routine, which can also help to boost your child’s mood.

2.Offer your child unconditional support. Remind your child that you are there to talk and help him or her in any way you can, even if what he or she says is unpleasant.

3. feed your child healthy meals. Poor nutrition can increase depression. Making sure that your child is getting three nutritious meals and two snacks every day can promote his or her overall well-being and help with the symptoms of depression. Food with vitamin c, folic acid and general protein is good

4. Reduce your child stress: if the child does more work at home , try to reduce the work

5. Encourage healthy sleeping patterns: ensure the child doesn’t watch television late and sleep at noon

6. Spend quality time with them: when your child is depressed, seeing your around often, take the child out and spend time in a cool relaxed place.

READ ALSO: Nigerian A-List Singer And Mom-Of-1, Waje Unravels Depression In A Deeper Way And It Is Explicit

Going to the psychiatrist for medical advice is not a bad idea if things doesn’t improve, it doesn’t mean your child is crazy, it means you are just seeking professional help to make your child feel better.

When Depression lingers on for long, the child might grow up feeling more depressed than happy and it will definitely affect everyone around the child.