Depression Checklist for Parents

Adapted from Susan Dubuque's book,
A Parent's Guide to Childhood Depression (Center for Applied Psychology, 1996).

The following checklist will help you assess and document your child's feelings and behavior. Be as object and thorough as possible. After each item that applies to your child, add a description including how long and how often it happens, and give examples. Share this information with your physician or therapist to provide a fairly good picture of your child's emotional state.

FEELINGS
Does your child express the following:

• Sadness
• Hopelessness
• Worthlessness
• Lack of enjoyment of everyday pleasures
  
  THINKING
  Is your child having difficulty:
  
• Concentrating
• Making decisions
• Completing school work
• Maintaining grades
  
  PHYSICAL PROBLEMS
  Does your child complain of:
  
• Headaches
• Joint or backahes
• Sleeping problems
• Gaining or losing weight, changes in appetite
• Stomaches
• Lack of energy
  
  BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
  Is your child:
  
• Restless
• Irritable
• Not wanting to go to school
• Wanting to be alone most of the time
• Having difficulty getting along with others
• Cutting classes or skipping school
• Dropping out of sports, hobbies or activities
• Drinking or using drugs
  
  SUICIDE RISK
  Does your child talk or think about:
  
• Suicide
• Death
• Other morbid subjects