8yr old boy signs of depression?

[martib]

My 8 year old boy has told me that he sometimes feels somewhere between sad and lost - not all the time. He also said that at night he thinks about "monsters" and is afraid of vampires, warewolves, etc.." he knows that they are not real but he said at night he thinks about them and cannot get them out of his head.  I did not know he was afraid of monsters until now.   He is very smart and very articulate.  He reads at a 4th grade level.  He has spent a lot of the summer reading.  His best friend moved this summer to CA - we are on the east coast.  He has other friends and likes to see them.  I am worried though. He is very interested in war games and battle - not sure how much of this is "normal." He reads books on lots of different topics. He is a picky eater. Always has been. He definately has the classic "first born" mentality and he has a younger brother.  I am not sure if I should take him to see someone and how to do find a reputable therapist?  I also don't know if Iam overreacting.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

To be frank, your description of your son does not indicate depression. Do you see any sign that he is not mastering the various challenges of home, school and peer life? It is very normal for people to feel sad some of the time. The key variables are the precipitants to the sadness and the degree of proportionality of the sadness. Fears at nighttime are quite prevalent during childhood, and in your son's case it doesn't seem that they are interfering with his sleep pattern. Re: the fears, ask him what might help him to feel better. See what, if anything, he suggests.