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Depression in children

How common is depression in children?

Depression is common among children of all ages and especially among teenagers.

We're not sure how many children and teenagers have depression. It could be anywhere between 2 and 8 in every 100.

Source:
Costello EJ.
Developments in child psychiatric epidemiology.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1989; 28: 836-841.

Source:
Costello EJ, Angold A, Burns BJ, et al.
The Great Smoky Mountains study of youth: goals, design, methods, and the prevalence of DSM-III-R disorders.
Archives of General Psychiatry. 1996; 53: 1129-1136.

Depression is more common in older children, and the risk of getting depression rises sharply at

puberty
Puberty is the time when boys and girls develop secondary sexual characteristics. For boys, the major changes include pubic hair, a deeper voice, and growth of their penis and testicles. For girls, major changes include pubic hair, breasts and starting to have periods. After puberty, girls are able to become pregnant and boys are able to father children.

puberty. Some studies have found that as many as 8 in 100 teenagers are depressed.

Source:
Birmaher B, Ryan ND, Williamson DE, et al.
Childhood and adolescent depression: a review of the past 10 years.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1996; 35: 1575-1583.

Among children (up to age 12), as many boys as girls get depression. But by the time they are teenagers, nearly twice as many girls as boys have depression. We're not sure why this is, but the way girls think might make them more likely to get depression if something bad happens.

Source:
Hankin BL, Abramson LY.
Development of gender difference in depression: an elaborated cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress theory.
Psychological Bulletin. 2001; 127: 773-796.

⁴ Or it may be that the changes in girls'

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

hormones at puberty increase their risk of getting depressed.

Source:
Burt VK, Stein K.
Epidemiology of depression throughout the female life cycle.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2002; 63: 9-15.

⁵

Depression in children is more common in some family situations. Compared with children who don't have depression, children who do are:

Source:
National Institute of Mental Health.
Depression in Children and Adolescents.
June 2008. Available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/depchildmenu.cfm (accessed on 29 January 2009).

⁶

Nearly twice as likely to be living with only one parent
More than twice as likely to have both parents out of work
More likely to have parents who have low incomes and less education.

We didn't find much good information about childhood depression in different ethnic groups. But here's what we do know:

Hispanic-American teenage boys have more symptoms of depression than white, black or Asian-American teenage boys

Source:
Siegel JM, Aneshensel CS, Taub B.
Adolescent depressed mood in a multiethnic group.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 1998; 27: 413-427.

⁷
Hispanic-American children and teenagers are more likely to have depression than white children and teenagers.

Source:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Mental health: culture, race and ethnicity. A supplement to Mental Health: a report of the Surgeon General.
2001. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ (accessed on 29 January 2009).

⁸ In one study, 12 out of 100 Mexican-American youths were depressed, compared with 6 out of 100 white youths
Native American teenage boys are more likely to commit suicide than any other group in the United States. From 1979 to 1992, 62 out of 100,000 native American teenage boys killed themselves
More white teenage boys try suicide than black teenage boys.

Source:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Mental health: culture, race and ethnicity. A supplement to Mental Health: a report of the Surgeon General.
2001. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ (accessed on 29 January 2009).

⁸ In 1997, 16 out of 100,000 white teenage boys tried suicide, compared with 11 out of 100,000 black teenage boys. But the number of black teenage boys trying suicide is going up, while the number of white teenage boys trying suicide is going down.

Some researchers think that depression in children and teenagers is getting more common, but it's hard to know for sure.

Source:
Hazell P.
Depression.
In: David T (editor). Recent advances in paediatrics. 21st edition. Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK; 2004.

⁹ Children are also showing signs of depression at a younger age.

Source:
Hazell P.
Depression.
In: David T (editor). Recent advances in paediatrics. 21st edition. Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK; 2004.

⁹ Most people who ever get it are probably depressed for the first time before the age of 20.

Source:
Hazell P.
Depression.
In: David T (editor). Recent advances in paediatrics. 21st edition. Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK; 2004.

⁹

Sources for the information on this page:

Costello EJ.Developments in child psychiatric epidemiology.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1989; 28: 836-841.

Costello EJ, Angold A, Burns BJ, et al.The Great Smoky Mountains study of youth: goals, design, methods, and the prevalence of DSM-III-R disorders.Archives of General Psychiatry. 1996; 53: 1129-1136.

Birmaher B, Ryan ND, Williamson DE, et al.Childhood and adolescent depression: a review of the past 10 years.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1996; 35: 1575-1583.

Hankin BL, Abramson LY.Development of gender difference in depression: an elaborated cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress theory.Psychological Bulletin. 2001; 127: 773-796.

Burt VK, Stein K.Epidemiology of depression throughout the female life cycle.Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2002; 63: 9-15.

National Institute of Mental Health.Depression in Children and Adolescents.June 2008. Available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/depchildmenu.cfm (accessed on 29 January 2009).

Siegel JM, Aneshensel CS, Taub B.Adolescent depressed mood in a multiethnic group.Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 1998; 27: 413-427.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Mental health: culture, race and ethnicity. A supplement to Mental Health: a report of the Surgeon General.2001. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ (accessed on 29 January 2009).

Hazell P.Depression.In: David T (editor). Recent advances in paediatrics. 21st edition. Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK; 2004.

This information was last updated on Feb 05, 2009

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