could my dd be depressed?

[LesbianMummy1]

Bit of a long story but I will try and condense it. DD1 started junior school in September it has been a huge shock for her and the jump from infant to juniors was scary. Since starting new school she has not been her usual self and a lot quieter. Her grades have all slipped although I understand this often happens when they move up to junior school. About 6 weeks ago she started feeling really rough doctors told me she had virus as her glands were up. She has been pale ever since and with no energy she has not wanted to go anywhere and even when coaxed out the house for an hour even for something fun she has said after about an hour she is tired etc. She had blood tests as they thought she may be anemic but is borderline so not definite other thoughts by the doctor were chronic fatigue or glandular fever however a friend has suggested they are also signs of depression has anybody got any ideas

meant to say dd is 8 years old

She may be but it sounds more like an organic physiological cause rather than a psychological one-many children can suffer a post viral fatigue which can continue for quite some time and can make them feel very low as well- a borderline anaemia may also be enough to make her feel pretty rubbish tbh-take her back to be seen if it continues and try and boost her iron stores nutritionally if at all possible.

Of course if she continues to feel low for whatever reaon then its worth getting her assessed but rule out physiological reasons first particularly as she is definately post viral
HTH

thank you oddgirl my worry is I don't want to make a bigger issue of it than i have too as she is a child who loves to please so sometimes i wonder when i ask her regarding pain etc if she just says yes to make me happy if that makes sense

Tricky. My son had a nasty virus last year and lost a lot of weight. (He has another now so I'm hoping the same thing doesn't happen again.) He had a post viral period of being shattered and listless. In the end we built him up through an extremely healthy diet. He had lost of protein - more than usual, lots of healthy snacks, and lots of fresh air, even if he was too tired to run about much. Also limited the amount of screen time as that seems to sap them. And kept him cheerful with silly things on the radio, funny books, jokes etc. Sounds silly but it can help boost their immune system. We cut right back on after school clubs, friends for tea etc until he got his energy back.

But also - lost of kids get lactose intolerant post virus and the symptoms a friend's child had when she got this were similar to what you describe. Very tired and listless and weepy. Might be worth checking that out too.

If it is depression unrelated to post viral feelings of the blues - which are so common and can last for several weeks - she'd need proper help. Kids do get depressed but with help they can knock it on the head and learn techniques that stop it from recurring in adulthood, so worth checking out if you're worried.

Thanks Cherys just seen your post we are watching her food intake but nothing alarnin going on there at the moment. I doubt it would be lactose intolerance as most meals in this house are dairy free as ds2 has milk allergy and dd used to be lactose intolerant she still can't cope with cheese but does now have milk etc occasionally however meals at home and school are dairy free. I have asked to see the special needs co-ordinator at her school to check everything there is fine too. He also specialises in emotional issues so will discuss my fears with him too