We are hearing more and more about depression in teens and adults. Increasingly we are learning that the answer is yes. Indeed depression in children may be as widespread as depression in adults. A behavioral reflection of the sadness and melancholia that plagues many of their parents is found in children. Infants may also be at risk for depression, particularly if their mother is suffering from depression.
Young children are very sensitive to their parents' emotional states.
They constantly reference their parents' facial expressions to gain information about their emotional state at any given moment. This is particularly true during times of uncertainty or stress. If the child learns that your primary emotions are sad ones, they may come to reflect those emotions themselves. The child becomes withdrawn, listless, and uninterested in exploring the environment. This can undermine their developing cognitive and motor abilities as well as their emotions.