“If they’re persistently sad, irritable or less motivated, those are markers that may indicate depression, even in kids as young as 3 or 4, and we would recommend that parents get them evaluated.”<p>Speaking from personal experience, if a 3 or 4 year old is displaying symptoms of depression, there's shit happening at home and the parents are neck-deep in denial about their role and pigs will fly before they get help for their kid.
I can attest to this. Grew up with Bipolar II, and Christmas was always the worst due to the dissonance of the joy around you and your own bad feelings. Birthdays were worse, because then you couldn't escape the attention. I specifically requested to stop having birthday parties -rather to just have a small family dinner. I think my parents were just baffled, thought I was moody/cynical.<p>I really wish I was diagnosed earlier, but what can you do? It breaks my heart to think of any kid going through the same thing and it just being dismissed, but what are they supposed to do? If you're going to get a proper diagnosis you need a referral to see a psychiatrist. If you're a bit iffy and the doctor doesn't think a referral is in order you're likely to wind up with a number of wrong diagnoses. I don't think at that age I was even capable of explaining all my symptoms thoroughly enough for even a psychiatrist to figure out the whole picture.<p>This is why physical diagnoses <i>needs</i> to step up to the plate. There needs to be a blood test, or something like it, rather than having to rely on baffled parents, or patients who might not even realize certain symptoms are even worth bringing up at all.
Hm, can someone help me figure out what this is saying more rigorously?<p>Specifically, is it saying Pr(Dislikes Rewards | Depressed) is high, or is it saying Pr(Depressed | Dislikes Rewards) is high, or both?
Wait, so they had kids choose a door and there was a 50% chance they get a point or lose a point? And that's what constitutes scientific research these days?<p>Did they even account for the kids figuring out that whether they win or lose is completely random and there's no skill or pattern involved? You know, like "what's even the point of trying if it's all random anyway"? Maybe that's why some kids weren't thrilled to get a point, because there was literally no effort required to get it, pure chance.<p>I don't know what the "scientists" expected, but I don't know a single person who goes into euphoria after they win a coin flip. Geez, they might all be at risk of clinical depression!!!!!!!
Mrs. Berry was then left with the unpleasant realization that either her entire class was depressed, or scratch and sniff stickers were no longer cool.
EEGs show brain differences between poor and rich kids
<a href="http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/12/02_cortex.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/12/02_corte...</a>