Depression: Is Your Child Depressed?

Children are not immune to depressiondepression. Just like for adults, treatment can be critical. Finding help for a depressed child may forestall years of anguish, and may even save that child's life. Yet ongoing controversy over the safety of antidepressant drugs has left many wondering what really helps or harms.

Few, least of all parents, think childhood is a state of constant bliss. Children's moods are like tropical seas: Tranquil waters can suddenly whip into a howling storm, returning just as quickly to sunshine and fair breezes. Depression, however, should not be confused with normal moodiness. It's as real and serious for children -- even very young children -- as it is for adults.

"It's relatively recent that we are recognizing depression in children," says David Fassler, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. "When I went to medical school some 20-odd years ago, we were taught that kids didn't get depressed."

But kids do get depressed. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, an estimated 2% of young children, and 4% to 8% of adolescents, suffer from depression.

While depression definitely exists in some younger kids, it's much more common in teenagers. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, an estimated 3% of children and 12% of adolescents suffer from depression.