If you notice any of the following symptoms in your child, talk to your child about life at school, and ask about bullying. Any thoughts of suicide should be dealt with as an emergency. Untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide in adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that nearly half of kids with ADHD also suffer from conditions like depression, learning disabilities, and anxiety disorders. Difficulty sleeping and loss of appetite are common side effects of ADHD medications and signals of depression.
Low motivation, or trouble getting started, is another shared symptom.
Especially in children, the inability to concentrate triggered by depression can look like distractibility from ADHD. The symptoms of depression are commonly mistaken for ADHD, and vice versa, because the markers of both conditions can overlap. Sometimes, depression in children manifests as constant irritability rather than traditional sadness. Children with depression may not be able to give these feelings a name, but parents may notice a sudden drop in grades or apathy about the future. It can cause patients, and close loved ones who want to help, a significant amount of hurt and pain. Depression is a mood disorder that can allow tendrils of sadness to reach nearly every aspect of daily life – mealtime, bedtime, playtime, school, and family time.
