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4yr old with depression

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
story

They can't be serious
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It sounds like anxiety rather than depression to me, but I'm no expert. There is no reason why children can't become depressed, although it is rare and usually maifests itself in different ways (eg. physical symptoms like stomach aches)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Stress

    "Stress"?

    FFS...

    Get the Prozac out. :rolleyes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    "Stress"?

    FFS...

    Get the Prozac out. :rolleyes:

    :thumb:. Staying with other friends should really solve the problem.

    On a serious note -- oh wait, i don't seem to have one.
  • Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    More like she is being a stroppy spoilt child, who always had her way before, and is going into a little hissy fit now because she didn't get what she wanted.

    Ffs, I know it was a sucky time having to leave everyone I knew at nursery. But I had to get on with it, as I was told to do. And I soon made new friends, and stole all the pens I could.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    More like she is being a stroppy spoilt child, who always had her way before, and is going into a little hissy fit now because she didn't get what she wanted.

    I was thinking this as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why can't a 4 year old have depression?

    I know the reason given seems stupid to some people but I don't think anyone is in the position to judge.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rachael wrote:
    Why can't a 4 year old have depression?

    Because their brains haven't developed enough to understand the contrast between being depressed and not being depressed.

    She can't see her mates and she's taking an hissy fit. Well that's my take on things.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yerascrote wrote:
    Because their brains haven't developed enough to understand the contrast between being depressed and not being depressed.

    She can't see her mates and she's taking an hissy fit. Well that's my take on things.

    How does that mean she isn't depressed? I still maintain I have the flu when I'm experiencing a hardcore cold so I can't exactly fully understand the contrast either. I can still experience either.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rachael wrote:
    How does that mean she isn't depressed? I still maintain I have the flu when I'm experiencing a hardcore cold so I can't exactly fully understand the contrast either. I can still experience either.

    No, it's different. Their brains are in a continual state of change. She's just feeling really low because she can't see her mates, she's grown a bond with them as lots of young people do in their early years and now this affects that bond, it doesn't mean that she is now depressed and needs medication. It's not depression in the medical sense we know it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yerascrote wrote:
    No, it's different. Their brains are in a continual state of change. She's just feeling really low because she can't see her mates, she's grown a bond with them as lots of young people do in their early years and now this affects that bond, it doesn't mean that she is now depressed and needs medication. It's not depression in the medical sense we know it.

    I understand that you are against medication but teenagers brains are in a continual state of change and as we know loads get depressed. I don't think it's fair to call her diagnosis of depression a load of bollocks just because she is four. At the moment, her world is probably her mates.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    More like she is being a stroppy spoilt child, who always had her way before, and is going into a little hissy fit now because she didn't get what she wanted.

    My feeling entirly, the parents dont seem much better either. I was upset whenI left nursery but I didnt get depression because I was apart from my friends, I just got over it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rachael wrote:
    I understand that you are against medication but teenagers brains are in a continual state of change and as we know loads get depressed. I don't think it's fair to call her diagnosis of depression a load of bollocks just because she is four. At the moment, her world is probably her mates.

    I didn't say it was bollocks.

    I'm also sceptical about treating young teenagers as depressed. I know when I was a young teen my mood was sky rocketing, happy one minute, confused and sad the next, doesn't mean I was bi-polar.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    Yerascrote wrote:
    I'm also sceptical about treating young teenagers as depressed. I know when I was a young teen my mood was sky rocketing, happy one minute, confused and sad the next, doesn't mean I was bi-polar.

    What you should have done is take a drug designed to treat an unproved theory, a theory that states that depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain. :yeees:
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My feeling entirly, the parents dont seem much better either. I was upset whenI left nursery but I didnt get depression because I was apart from my friends, I just got over it.

    Ai, mini-me was pretty gutted when she left nursery, half the year went to different school and she loved her nursery teacher. I didn't let her make too much of a fuss over it, though I listened when she said she missed her old friends. She got over it... A four year old should be able to get over leaeving their friends behind and making new ones. If they can't then there is something wrong somewhere, though not necesarily depression, more like manipulative little tyke who is miserable because it suits her and has her parents doing exactly what she wants them to be doing...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Skive wrote:
    What you should have done is take a drug designed to treat an unproved theory, a theory that states that depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain. :yeees:

    Oh thanks mate..but it's too late. My mind has consumed me, all I can think of is death and nihilism. Looks like I'm a goner. :crying:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She isn't depressed, she's unhappy about not being able to be with her friends. Depression is a chemical imbalance and an actual medical condition. And guess what; being unhappy doesn't give you a medical condition.

    How this is a news item I can't even begin to imagine.:banghead:
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    Depression is a chemical imbalance

    That's a fact is it?
    Bollocks.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    With respect, most of us aren't GPs or psychiatrists and none of us have met the girl. Why is it impossible for a small child to be depressed? It's not an "adult problem" and she's not better in a position to "sort herself out" than anyone else is, if her GP is correct.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Unless a child's mental problems are to do with development (ie autism or dyslexia) then I'd argue that a child's undeveloped brain mind and personality (though children have a distinct personality very early on it's hardly set in stone) can't be mentally ill in terms of depression schizophrenia etc. It's just absurd (which is a fantastic word).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    god help what they would have thought of me

    i cried almost all the way through nursery/school

    to the point my dad had scratch marks on his back where i clung to him because i didnt wanna go!

    i seriously doubt she is depressed....i am not saying its impossible for her to be depressed, just unlikely
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    de·pressed (dĭ-prĕst') pronunciation
    adj.

    1. Low in spirits; dejected.

    I think the word depression had become bastardised somewhat of late. Nowadays people seem to immediately equate depression with the need to medicate.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    de·pressed (dĭ-prĕst') pronunciation
    adj.

    1. Low in spirits; dejected.

    I think the word depression had become bastardised somewhat of late. Nowadays people seem to immediately equate depression with the need to medicate.

    I think you are confusing the adjective with the medical condition.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, i don't think so. I understand the difference, I think the paper is confusing the adjective with the medical condition.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, the story is based on a GP's "expert" judgement.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ^ (@CoatHanger) I don't think the doctor would descibe a patient as depressed if they didn't mean the medical condition.

    I think you're all wrong to say "She's not depressed." Who are you to diagnose her? That doctor has spent many years at medical school studying conditions like this and I bet he knows a damn sight lot more about it than you. Just because depression in MORE COMMON in adulthood, doesn't mean it's restricted to adulthood.

    Yeah, this little girl might just be in a strop, but think about it. Her parents know her well and know when something is wrong with her. Her doctor is medically trained and I'm pretty sure he knows the difference between being depressed and in a mardy.

    Until you've trained at medical school AND know everything about this little girl, you have no right to judge.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ^_^ wrote:
    Until you've trained at medical school AND know everything about this little girl, you have no right to judge.


    Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It's a debating forum. If we had to have specialist and personal knowledge about every subject that comes up in here fuck all would be said :rolleyes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ^_^ wrote:
    ^ (@CoatHanger) I don't think the doctor would descibe a patient as depressed if they didn't mean the medical condition.

    I think you're all wrong to say "She's not depressed." Who are you to diagnose her? That doctor has spent many years at medical school studying conditions like this and I bet he knows a damn sight lot more about it than you. Just because depression in MORE COMMON in adulthood, doesn't mean it's restricted to adulthood.

    Yeah, this little girl might just be in a strop, but think about it. Her parents know her well and know when something is wrong with her. Her doctor is medically trained and I'm pretty sure he knows the difference between being depressed and in a mardy.

    Until you've trained at medical school AND know everything about this little girl, you have no right to judge.

    doctors make mistakes too ya know........
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There are many levels of depression, though, from very mild through to clinical and therefore I think it is perfectly possible that the little girl may be mildly depressed. I really feel for her, even though it seems like such small fry to us... to the girl the world of nursery/primary school and her known and befriended peers is obviously a huge deal. Just because we perceive she can't be "depressed" in the very introspective and deep-rooted way that many adults suffer (and are often medicated for, as someone already said) doesn't mean that something like segregation from friends and an unhappy school atmosphere could make a child very unhappy. Maybe depression has been bandied about a little too easily, and maybe the GP would regret using those terms now since it's become such a huge story (needlessly, imo) but there you go.

    Oh, and for what it's worth, if there was any chance at all of getting my child into East Herrington Juniors rather than Farringdon Primary I would grab it with both hands and never let go. It [the latter] is an awful school and feeds into the scariest comprehensive ever :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ^_^ wrote:
    Until you've trained at medical school AND know everything about this little girl, you have no right to judge.

    Well until you have went to uni and got a degree in politics you have NO right to talk about politics! :rolleyes:

    This doctor made the assessment based on his own personal opinion, there are probably thousands upon thousands of doctors who wouldn't have labelled her as depressed. This is what we are debating her.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm not saying you need the knowledge to debate. I'm saying you have no right to say things like "She is not depressed." Or to insinuate that the doctor is completely wrong...

    Debating is about looking at both sides of the story. People shouldn't be so quick to judge. You're mostly saying that the doctor is wrong and that you are all right. Only because you think depression is an adult illness. You're closing the doors without looking behind them.
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