talk to me pls about depression in children

[nowwearefour]

i am wondering if my dd1 is suffering. she is only 5.5

You'll have to tell us more.

I think depression in children is a very real problem but my experience of this is in teenagers.

Are there any mental health experts out there to help nowwearefour?

I dont think a child of 5 can be depressed as such I think she may be struggling to understand something and its making her anxious or miserable,or she may be in a situation that causes her to be unhappiness generally with a child you can only talk and discuss and explain....im not an expert is she going through some trauma?

Name changed.

I was older when diagnosed with depression - 12. But I was diagnosed with severe nervous depression and I was devastated. I was severely depressed but there were very good reasons for it. I was very badly bullied at school (including whole classrooms of children setting on me and beating me up in front of teachers, or whole classrooms of children throwing stuff at me while the teacher sat there and watched) and I was also very badly bullied at home by my older siblings. So it was no bloody wonder I felt like killing myself.

Why do you think your child is depressed?

My ds was described as 'on the edge of a breakdown' at 7 ,he was having a very difficult time at school although very happy att home.....we resolved this by He ing him for a time.

My dd seems to have huge mood swings from v v happy to v v angry and grumpy and moody. These arent at predictable times. i have suffered from depression in the past and it is anger that is always the trigger for me to realise that something is amiss. She is doing well at school and seems to have lots of friends and her teacher and the lunchtime assistant (whom we know from outside school) both say she plays happily. She has a healtyh diet and me and dh (her dad) have a happy marriage. She has a difficujlt little sister and i have been through v shouty stages which is where i think she may have learned some of her behaviours from. i am sure i was depressed as a child (undiagnosed) and dh's family has lots of incidents of depression in it so i am v aware of it being likely for my dd's. maybe i am looking for it where it doesnt exist.

thank you pixie. agree i am probably reading too much into it. i just want to be right onto it if something does change.