Depressed kids sometimes act sad, cry a lot, or complain about feeling down. They might also seem bored all the time or lose interest in their favorite activities. For instance, if your child often says things like, "Nothing is fun," or "There's no point in trying," they may be depressed. A negative, self-critical attitude can signal depression. Pay attention if your child blames themselves for things that aren't their fault or if they put themselves down all the time. For instance, don't ignore comments like "I ruin everything" or "I'm the worst student at school." Depressed children often act out their feelings by talking back to adults, fighting with siblings or peers, and getting frustrated very easily. If your child's temper has been getting the better of them lately, there may be a problem. Some depressed kids are unable to handle constructive criticism. Ask yourself whether your child gets angry or gives up completely after you correct them about something. If your child has started staying up until the wee hours of the morning, or if they're having a hard time getting out of bed, they may be depressed. Weight changes, loss of appetite, or food cravings can also signal that something is wrong. Pay attention if your child starts having problems at school, like low attendance or poor grades. Speak with your child's teachers regularly so you can be alerted to any problems as soon as they arise. Ask yourself whether your child seems more withdrawn than usual. Depressed kids and teens often pull away from family members and start spending more time alone, or they may become reluctant to see their friends or go to school. Does your child complain about headaches, stomachaches, or other mysterious physical symptoms that don't seem to have a cause? Depression can cause aches and pains that don't go away even with painkillers or other treatments. If your child talks about physical symptoms frequently, take them to the doctor to see if anything else is going on. If your child has gone through a traumatic experience, like a parental divorce or serious illness or injury, take note of how it affects them. Other events that may affect your children include abuse, the loss of a loved one, or other trauma.
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One-sentence summary -- Notice whether your child seems persistently sad or listless. Listen to how your child talks about themselves. Notice whether your child seems irritable or angry. Pay attention to your child's sleeping and eating habits. Notice if your child is having trouble in school. Keep an eye on your child's social life. Take complaints about aches and pains seriously. Recognize the impact of life-changing events.

Typically, the employee's manager should be the one to provide feedback. If you manage people, it is your job to give them timely, clear feedback. In some cases, it might be more appropriate for someone from Human Resources to address the issue. For example, if it is a sensitive issue regarding health, an HR professional might be better equipped to handle the issue. If you are a small business owner, you might want to be in charge of providing feedback to all of your employees. Alternatively, you can delegate it to an employee that you trust. All employees should receive feedback, whether they are part-time or full-time. At the very least, set up a quarterly meeting to check-in. But also give feedback anytime you see an issue with performance. It's important to track overall performance so that you can objectively evaluate how the employee is doing. That means that you need to document it whenever an issue occurs. For example, if you are a small business owner, you might have a problem with employees showing up on time. Each time someone is late, make a note in their file. You should also mention it to them in person. Also make a point to document it when someone does something well. For example, if your employee made it a point to spend a lot of time helping a customer, make a note in their file that they went above and beyond. Also, tell them in person that you appreciate their efforts. You can also send feedback in an email to have further documentation. Providing feedback quickly allows you to correct any issues that have arisen and it also ensures that the performance issue is fresh in the employee's mind. If you need to give someone feedback, try to do so as soon as possible. This might mean at the end of the day, or even at the moment. If it's a more complicated issue, take a few days to make your plan. If an employee is arguing with a co-worker or client, it's okay to draw them aside to address the situation immediately. You can always follow up later with written feedback. Make sure to give positive feedback, too. You might say to an employee, "I noticed you've been taking on a lot more responsibility lately. Let's meet next week to talk about leadership opportunities that are available." Follow up with an email to remind them of what you spoke about. Avoid using generalities. You don't want any ambiguity in your feedback. Use precise language to clearly state the issue and how it needs to be handled. Don't say, "You're not doing a good job." Instead, be specific and say, "This job requires you to hold staff meetings once a week. The past 2 weeks, you have failed to set a meeting time or circulate an agenda. This leads to a breakdown in communication and your team members are lacking direction." Avoid contradicting previous feedback. For example, maybe you own a small boutique. If you asked an employee to make a display of fall boots, don't later say that they should have highlighted sweaters instead. Objective words rely on facts, whereas subjective terms can often involve feeling and emotions. Make sure to be objective when you give feedback so that you can use documentation and facts to support your points. Instead of saying, "The employee has a bad attitude," say, "The employee refuses to attend required team-building exercises and often ignores co-workers when they try to speak to them." Try saying, "The employee doesn't look good," say, "The employee regularly comes to work in jeans, when company policy requires business professional attire." Absolutes are rarely true, so it's best not to use them. Try not to say things like, "The employee is never on time," or "The employee is always argumentative." You likely won't be able to prove these statements if the employee questions the feedback.
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One-sentence summary --
Provide feedback to all employees you supervise directly. Document both problems and positive outcomes. Give feedback in a timely manner. Use specific language to make your points clear. Choose objective terms to describe performance. Avoid using absolutes.