From Your School Psychologist…
Depression in Children and Adolescents
Feelings of unhappiness, sadness, dejection or irritability are normal moods in children and
adolescents. Most recover quickly from these brief emotional states. For others, however,
depression can be severe and long-lasting, and can interfere with all aspects of daily life ranging
from achievement in school, social life, and family relationships.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 2.5 million children under age 18 have
experienced clinical depression and that 2% of children and 2-5% of adolescents in the United
States have depression at any given time. Forty to 70% of children with major depressive
disorders also have a second psychiatric disorder, such as anxiety and disruptive disorders. Boys
and girls can experience depression at equal rates in childhood. Girls are more likely than boys to
be diagnosed with depression during adolescence and adulthood.
A number of causes of depression have been suggested and include biology such as hereditary,
biochemical, hormonal and neurological factors. Psychological factors include loss of loved
ones, disturbances in child-parent relationships, threats to self-esteem, the way children interpret
everyday experiences, and their belief about the ability to control and shape their world.
Symptoms of depression in children vary depending on the developmental level of the child.
Characteristics of depression that usually occur in children, adolescents, and adults include:
 Persistent sad and irritable mood
 Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or inappropriate guilt
 Significant change in appetite and body weight
 Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
 Difficulty concentrating
 Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping
 Physical signs of agitation or excessive lethargy and loss of energy
 Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Symptoms associated with depression more commonly in children and adolescents than in adults
include:
 Frequent vague, non-specific physical complaints (headaches, stomachaches)
 Frequent absences from school
 Unusually poor school performance
 School refusal or excessive separation anxiety
 Outbursts of shouting, complaining, unexplained irritability, or crying
 Misbehavior or discipline problems
 Chronic boredom or apathy
 Social withdrawal/isolation, and poor communication
 Difficulty maintaining relationships
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Reckless behavior/increased risk-taking behavior including alcohol or drug abuse
Excessive fear of or preoccupation with death
Suicide is a very real concern for persons experiencing depression. Suicide attempts are
uncommon in early childhood but become possible in later childhood and more common in
severely depressed adolescents. Girls are more likely to attempt suicide, but boys who make an
attempt are more likely to succeed.
What Schools and Teachers can do to Help
Schools can:
 Emphasize and facilitate home-school collaboration. Develop a caring, welcoming,
and supportive school environment for children, parents, and faculty.
 Prevent all forms of bullying as a vigorously enforced school policy. Develop
supportive teaching for children to understand and express their feelings.
 Establish clear rules and publicize and enforce them fairly and consistently.
 Train faculty and parents to recognize the risk factors and warning signs of
depression in children and adolescents.
Teachers can:
 Give frequent and genuine praise: “That’s a good answer.” That’s a good question.”
 Accentuate the positive-give feedback about tasks students have completed
successfully.
 Supportively challenge self-criticism.
 Help the child distinguish between events that he/she can control from those that are
uncontrollable.
 Make student progress as visible to them as possible, on as frequent basis as
possible.
 Normalize beginning incompetence-everyone is a beginner at everything once.
 Get to know your students to the extent you can; converse with them during nontask times. Especially get to know the quiet students.
 Describe the future in hopeful terms. Be realistic but optimistic. Communicate your
confidence that they will meet those challenges in stride.
 Encourage increased participation in games/activities.
 Encourage your students to participate in activities you think they are likely to
enjoy (reminding them, if the activity is new, they may have to practice first).
 Be aware of the warning signs of suicide; seek professional help immediately
References
Cash, R.E. (2004). Depression in children and adolescents. Helping Children at Home and School II:
Handouts for Families and Educations, National Association of School Psychologists.
Larson, L. (2005). Instant Help for Children and Teens with Depression. Instant Help Publications.
www.InstantHelpBooks.com