Depression Information

Is it ADHD or is it Depression?


During the assessment process it is of great importance for the physician or clinician to consider other possible causes of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity in your child, or teen, or yourself. In fact, this is probably the most important element of a good assessment. There are several possible causes of these behaviors, especially in children, and the clinician must have great certainty that these other possible causes have been ruled out before giving the label of "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" to your child.

In this issue we will discuss the possibility that your child has depression rather than an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, lymbic type.

When one is depressed several of the following symptoms will be noted. Someone with four or five of the following symptoms should probably see a physician or other professional to get a real assessment done.

The common symptoms of depression include:
· Physical Hyperactivity, or Lack of Activity (Hypoactivity)
· Change of Appetite, either Less or More
· Change in Sleeping, either Less or More
· Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
· Loss of energy, increased fatigue
· Feelings of worthlessness, or inappropriate guilt
· Difficulty concentrating
· Thoughts of death or dying
· In children and teens, depression is shows itself with increased aggression, irritability, or isolation from the family.

Sometimes really out of control emotional behavior is attributed to ADHD, but might really be the result of depression! Depression in children and teens often looks to a clinician, who barely knows your child, as ADHD.

One main difference is that depression has a "starting date" and ADHD has been present to some degree or another since birth.
· Does your child seems very sad, or very grouchy or irritable?
· Does it seem like nothing is fun for him, even things he used to like doing?
· Does he seem bored most of the time and just sit around?
· Has he gained a lot or weight? Or lost a lot of weight?
· Does he seem to be sleeping a lot more than usual, and have lots of trouble waking up in the morning? Or does he have unusual trouble getting to sleep at night?
· Does he seem unusually restless or agitated?
· Is he having more trouble than usual paying attention to school work?
· Is it harder for him to make decisions than usual?
· Has your child/teen talked about suicide, or even make attempts, recently?

If three or four of these are true of your child/teen over the past six months, expecially the one about suicide, then we'd recommend that you have him checked out by a therapist, psychologist, or physician who specializes in depression. It is very common to mis-diagnose depression for ADHD, especially by inexperienced therapists and physicians. Learn more at the ADHD Information Library at http://www.newideas.net.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.


MORE RESOURCES:

The Associated Press

Fed chief guided by lessons from Depression
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 5 hours ago
The chairman of the Federal Reserve is also one of the nation's pre-eminent scholars of the Great Depression. As the world careens through a global ...
Video: Bernanke: More Economic Pain Ahead AssociatedPress
Fed assumes powerful new role in financial crisis The Associated Press
Analysis: Fed reaches for its rarely used power Kansas City Star
New York Times - Reuters
all 1,714 news articles


Recession? Depression? How Deep, How Far and What Can Be Done?
AlterNet, CA - Oct 11, 2008
Talk of "Another Great Depression" has entered the mainstream discourse, 1 out of 6 homeowners are "under water" -- owing more to the banks than their ...
On the Economy The Great Disruption hits Puget Sound hard Seattle Times
What's Special About Wall Street Huffington Post
all 3 news articles


Wall Street Journal

What History Tells Us About the Market
Wall Street Journal - 21 hours ago
Strikingly, today's conditions bear quite a close resemblance to what Graham described in the abyss of the Great Depression. Regardless of how much further ...
Swagger turns to shudder a year after market high The Associated Press
Dealing With a Loss of Control Wall Street Journal
all 306 news articles


FROM THE EDITOR: Stakes as high as the Great Depression
SouthCoastToday.com, MA - 9 hours ago
The survivors of the Great Depression, at least those old enough to remember, are in their 80s and 90s now. It was a different America then, ...


Therapists see a different side of the Great Depression
The Saginaw News - MLive.com, MI - 13 hours ago
... Family Services of Saginaw County in the past year have had symptoms of depression, said Mark Abbenante, psychologist and counseling center director. ...


China Daily

US to take stake in banks, first since Depression
The Associated Press - Oct 10, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government will buy an ownership stake in a broad array of American banks for the first time since the Great Depression, ...
In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes The Miami Herald
Krugman: US must implement plan now or we revisit the Great Depression Salt Lake Tribune
Daily developments in the financial crisis Los Angeles Times
Sky News - Buenos Aires Herald (subscription)
all 1,278 news articles


New York Times

Those With Sense of History May Find It’s Time to Invest
New York Times, United States - 13 hours ago
Since the Depression, governments have become far more aggressive about intervening when credit markets seize up or economies struggle. ...
Smart investors look for some stock gems amid the rubble USA Today
all 20 news articles


Voice of America

Fear rife of another Great Depression like period
IBNLive.com, India - 21 hours ago
... just issuing more such reassuring messages to depositors, but also to come up with more bold and coordinated measures to avoid another Great Depression. ...
Video: IMF: Timing right for G7 ReutersVideo
RISK OF A GLOBAL DEPRESSION 'NEARLY NIL' - IMF Hürriyet
Press demands some G7 credit crunch punch AFP
FN Arena News - Reuters India
all 2,002 news articles


History shows investors in stocks can bounce back in worst of times
Seattle Times, United States - 7 hours ago
Some people have bandied it about — the prospect that perhaps this is the big one, the 100-year-flood in the stock market, or another depression. ...
Certain financial truths remain in uncertain times Newsday
Strap In for an Extended, Slow Recovery Washington Post
Questions to help you decide on the market Philadelphia Inquirer
all 18 news articles


Declines rival the Depression
Financial Times, UK - 14 hours ago
By Alistair Gray in New York US stocks ended their second worst week ever with more heavy selling that took the market's drop since its peak to a level that ...

Depression - Google News

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