  
Mental disorders in children are just as real, common and treatable as they are in adults. Left untreated, children's mental health disorders can lead to problems at home, trouble in school and in the community, substance abuse and even suicide.
In fact, depression alone affects as many as one in every 33 children and one in eight teens. If you think your child or a child you know is suffering from depression, your local mental health provider may be able to help. For a list of Arizona resources click here.
From the American Academy of Family Physicians website, "Infants and preschoolers do not have the ability to express feelings of sadness in language. Therefore, depressive symptoms must be inferred from overt behavior, including apathy, withdrawal from caregivers, delay or regression of developmental milestones and failure to thrive that has no organic cause. Because of the difficulties of diagnosing any psychiatric disorder in this age group, clinicians must rely heavily on parental history, evaluation of parent-child interactions and play interviews by appropriately trained professionals.
School-aged children are cognitively able to internalize environmental stressors (e.g., family conflict, criticism, failure to achieve academically) and display low self-esteem and excessive guilt. However, much of this inner turmoil is expressed through somatic complaints (headaches, stomachaches), anxiety (school phobia, excessive separation anxiety) and irritability (temper tantrums and other behavioral problems). Because these children are in school, their teachers can also serve as a valuable source of information and should be included in the evaluation process if possible. It is important to note that some depressed children attempt to compensate for their low self-esteem by trying to please others and be accepted. Because in this effort they may excel academically and behave well, their depression may go unnoticed.
Adolescents experience many developmental challenges as they strive to separate from their parents, become autonomous and establish their own identities. In this process they depend increasingly on their peer groups. This period of biopsychosocial maturation creates the conditions for adolescents to experience a greater sense of hopelessness and despair at a time when their ability to complete suicide is greater than when they were younger. They also exhibit more anhedonia, hypersomnia, weight change and substance abuse than younger children."
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