According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Sang - Head of the Department of High Quality Clinic - Psychology, Children's Hospital 2, every year, the department receives many children coming to examine symptoms of depression. The group of children usually affected is from 13 years old and up, the younger age group does not account for many.
When coming to the clinic, the child showed symptoms such as sadness, anxiety, low self-esteem, difficulty sleeping, sleeping little or sleeping a lot, loss of appetite or overeating, not wanting to interact, loss of interest, loss of concentration, poor academic performance, etc.
According to MSc. Phung Thi Lua - psychologist of the Department of High Quality Clinic - Psychology, Children's Hospital 2, depression is a mental disorder, characterized by feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and lack of motivation lasting for a long time.
People with depression may lose interest in activities they previously enjoyed, feel anxious or tired, or have negative thoughts about themselves and life.
To diagnose depression, children will be examined by relevant specialists if they have physical symptoms such as difficulty breathing or headaches. Then, children will be examined by a psychologist and have scales performed to rule out anxiety disorders.
If depression is detected late, it will lead to a more serious illness and a longer treatment time. This will affect the child's quality of life and social relationships, and even cause the child to have suicidal thoughts.
Depression can be cured if detected early. This requires the patient to comply with treatment under the guidance of a specialist. The main therapy in treating depression in children is psychological treatment.
If there is no improvement, the child will be combined with drug treatment. In addition, the child will also be supported by traditional medicine methods.
