Related concepts:

Major Depression, Mood Disorders, Dysthymic Disorder, Childhood Depression, Infant Depression.

Introduction to depression:

United States Surgeon General David Satcher released a report in January 2001 describing a mental health crisis in children. Mental illness severe enough to hinder kids from learning or developing appropriately is quite common -- but fewer than one in five affected children get the help they need. Mental disorders are a major untreated problem in children. Recognizing and treating conditions such as depression can be a powerful contribution to children's lives. Some children’s depression is missed because they appear to have ADHD.

What is depression?

Major depression is a mood disorder that affects sleep, eating, growth, mood, and interest level. Dysthymic disorder is a milder (but often longer lasting) variant, where the child has a depressed mood for at least a year.

Not long ago, people used to think that young children did not suffer from depression. Now we know that depression in children is both real and common – although the symptoms are often different from those seen in adults.

Depression of Infancy and Early Childhood is defined as a pattern of depressed or irritable mood with diminished interest or pleasure in developmentally appropriate activities, diminished capacity to protest, excessive whining, and diminished social interactions and initiative. This is accompanied by disturbances in sleep or eating and lasts for at least 2 weeks.

Who gets depression?

Depression affects up to one in 40 children. It involves the interplay of a genetic predisposition to depression, an imbalance of brain chemicals, and events in the child’s life.

There is a strong link between mental disorders in parents and their children. When parents have major depression, their children are at increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems of their own. Depression in parents is associated with depression, social phobia, disruptive behavior disorder, separation anxiety disorder, multiple anxiety disorder, and/or poorer social functioning in children.

Yet when parents are diagnosed, the children are often not even considered. I hope that this will prompt caregivers to notice whether the children are in any distress and to provide support for them, even at a very young age. And of course, I hope that parents will get the treatment and support that they themselves deserve, both for their own sake and for their children.

What are the symptoms of depression?

Children may have many of the same symptoms as adults. In general, though, children may be less likely to report sadness or depressed mood, and more likely to develop phobias, anxieties, physical complaints, behavior problems and hallucinations.