This is one of a series of fact sheets on the mental, emotional, and behavior disorders that can appear in childhood or adolescence. The Center for Mental Health Services extends appreciation to the National Institute of Mental Health for contributing to the preparation of this fact sheet. Major depression is one of the mental, emotional, and behavior disorders that can appear during childhood and adolescence. This type of depression affects a young person's thoughts, feelings, behavior, and body.
Depression can lead to school failure, alcohol or other drug use, and even suicide.
Young people with depression may have a hard time coping with everyday activities and responsibilities, have difficulty getting along with others, and suffer from low self-esteem. Mental health problems affect one in every five young people at any given time. Serious emotional disturbances affect 1 in every 10 young people at any given time. Some young children with this disorder may pretend to be sick, be overactive, cling to their parents and refuse to go to school, or worry that their parents may die. Older children and adolescents with depression may sulk, refuse to participate in family and social activities, get into trouble at school, use alcohol or other drugs, or stop paying attention to their appearance.