Study: Puberty can lead to depression
Jun 27, 2016, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:58 pm
According to the journal “Pediatrics“, early puberty leads to depression.
“Puberty is occurring earlier and earlier in kids these days,” said Dr. Robert James with Bayless pediatrics. “Long time ago, the ages were more like in the teens.”
“Now, they’ve become as low as seven- or six-years-old.”
Females deal with the changes a little bit differently than males do.
“Males, sometimes, they’ll see a change that’s going on and they want to announce it to everybody,” he explained. “Where females will most likely, the changes will occur, others will notice it and other people may even make fun of it.”
The changes for girls may cause staring, which can lead to them feeling self-conscious, he added.
Some things to look out for as parents.
“They won’t be sleeping well, they may be sleeping too much. Is there a change in their appetite?,” Dr. James said. “They don’t want to hang out with their friends anymore, they kind of stay isolated.”
These are all things that you have to look at as triggers that can tell you if something is going wrong with your kid, he explained.
If you notice these or other signs, talk to your child, he said. It may be a good idea to have that conversation with their pediatrician involved.
