Childhood depression

Abstract

A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts. It affects how people eat and sleep, how they feel about themselves and how they think about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as passing sadness. People with a depressive illness cannot simply “calm down” and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help many people who suffer from depression. Only in the last two decades has childhood depression been taken seriously. The depressed child may feign illness, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that the parent is going to die. Older children may be moody, get into trouble at school, be negative, naughty, and feel misunderstood.