Can children get depression

Answer 1

Yes, children can definitely become depressed. This runs counter to traditional thinking on the matter, perhaps because children often do not exhibit the same symptoms of depression as adults. For example, they may not appear to be sad, and if you ask them if they feel sad they may say "No". They may not be lying, they may just not have insight into or awareness of their feelings. Depressed children however, may exhibit other mood changes, like fussiness, grumpiness, or being easily upset. Physical symtpoms and functional symtpoms may be more prominent than mood symptoms. For example, there may be a change in eating, sleeping (difficulty sleeping, or they may over sleep), and activity levels. They may not want to play with friends (loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities). They may not want to do normal activities. If they play a sport or are in another extracurricular activity like scouts - they might say they want to drop out or not go to practices or meetings. School performance may suffer, as individuals with depression may have trouble concentrating. Any clear change in normal routine and general temperment that persists for more than a couple of weeks should raise concern and should be discussed with a physician or counselor (perhaps just in private at first, then with the child).