Until the 1980s, it was generally thought that children could not become depressed. Now researchers recognize that children, like everyone else, are not immune from this insidious and dangerous disease. Because children often do not have the capacity to step back, look at themselves, and recognize that the way they're feeling isn't normal for them, diagnosis and treatment of depression is more difficult than for adults. But now it seems to be accepted that depression is much more complex than that, perhaps with a genetic component, certainly a psychophysiological disease which affects thought, emotions, behavior, and the body.
Depression can present a confusing picture in children and adolescents.
But more often children cannot express their feelings so directly and we must interpret their behavior. Children, especially boys, may simply appear unusually angry or sullen. If this mood is unrelieved for more than a week, and especially if it does not seem to come in response to some real disappointment or loss, most likely the parent should seek help. Especially worrisome is a loss of interest in things that used to give pleasure, as when a child seems not to care any longer for favorite toys or activities. Injuries that may seem accidental may have been the result of carelessness.