Many adults think back on their childhood as an ideal, carefree time, but some children are clinically-depressed. Today is the 4th annual Childhood Depression Awareness Day as experts in Iowa urge parents to look for and be wary of certain warning signs.Dr. Kevin Took is medical director of child psychiatry at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. He says some characteristics which may signal childhood depression include: loss of sleep or too much sleep, fatigue, loss of appetite or increased appetite, thoughts of self-harm or suicide and low concentration levels.Dr. Took says as many as one in eight adolescents is clinically depressed. Left untreated, he says childhood depression can lead to school failure, substance abuse and suicide. It’s the third-leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds.Took says childhood depression is a “very treatable” condition which is often curable.
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