Can girls who “love to laugh” also suffer from depression?

Author: Wu Meitong Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center

Reviewer: Cha Caihui, Chief Physician, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center

We often hear the word "depression" and are very familiar with it. It is a common mental illness, the main characteristics of which are persistent low mood, loss of interest or motivation in things we usually like, low self-esteem, and negative words and deeds.

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However, do only people who are depressed and have no motivation in life suffer from depression? Of course not. Some time ago, a girl who loves to laugh came to my treatment room. When I chatted with her while waiting for the consultation, my first impression of her was that she was a cheerful child. During the chat, she also gave people a very happy feeling. However, when I saw her medical records and evaluation results, I found out that she had been diagnosed with depression. Seeing this, you may be like the girl's parents, not believing that their child actually suffers from depression. How can a child who loves to laugh suffer from depression? But can you be sure that the children around you who are always laughing and smiling are really happy? Are they patients with "smiling depression"?

What is "smiling depression"?

"Smiling depression" is not a clinical diagnosis, but a popular term. It refers to when a person with depression hides his or her depressed side, wearing a mask of smile, making people think that he or she is living a happy life, making the depressive symptoms more difficult to detect. Because most people have a stereotype about depression, they think that children with depression are depressed and have no interest in life. But in fact, these are just one of the symptoms of depression, not every depressed child shows a pessimistic state.

Why do you smile when you are depressed?

Many adults are reluctant to show their negative emotions in front of others, so as not to give people the impression of weakness or become a burden to others. As for children, they also have various reasons for choosing to hide their depression. Children may feel that their parents are so strict that they will definitely not believe them, and they feel that it is impossible to solve the problem; family members are usually very busy at work and rarely have the opportunity to get along and chat together. Children are often alone, so they are used to hiding their worries in their hearts and pretending to be happy in front of others. Sometimes, when children show pessimistic emotions in their expressions or behaviors, they will be asked by people around them, but after being asked, there is no effective way to solve the problem. Over time, children will feel that it is better to hide their worries in their hearts and not let anyone know, at least they will not feel more upset because of being "asked". Many times, children are irritable, easily lose their temper, have difficulty concentrating in class, have reduced learning efficiency, and have lower grades. They are not told to their parents until their classmates or teachers find scratches on their wrists at school.

How to identify depression early?

In our daily lives, we can use the following subtle characteristics to determine whether we or our children are suffering from depression.

Appetite: Sudden change in appetite, loss of appetite or overeating.

Changes in work and rest schedules, staying in bed all day or suffering from frequent insomnia, or even having a reversed work and rest schedule.

The mentality is to feel hopeless and guilty about things and feel that you are worthless.

Interests: No longer interested in or enjoying the things you used to like.

In fact, the manifestations of depression are not just what we generally know. In addition to low mood, loss of interest or motivation in favorite things, and negative thoughts, some patients with depression are difficult to observe. In daily life, we should observe whether our family members or friends around us have some subtle clues of depression characteristics. Are there some people who look optimistic on the surface but are very negative when they are alone? For patients with depression who "love to laugh", they should be discovered and treated early so that they can return to normal life, study and work as soon as possible.