Depression in children

Risk factors for depression in children and teenagers

Some young people are more likely than others to get depression. These are some of the factors that can put children and teenagers at risk for this illness.

Family problems. Children can get emotional problems if they have lots of fights with their parents or if their parents don't get along.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹
Social problems. Children who are in foster care or are homeless have a high risk of getting depressed.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹ So do children who are refugees or who are seeking asylum.
Depression in your family. Depression runs in families. The

genes
Your genes are the parts of your cells that contain instructions for how your body works. Genes are housed on chromosomes, structures that sit in the nucleus at the middle of each of your cells. You have 23 pairs of chromosomes in your normal cells, each of which has thousands of genes. You get one set of chromosomes, and all of the genes that are on them, from each of your parents.

genes children get from their parents may have something to do with it. A child or teenager is at least twice as likely to get depressed if a close relative has depression.

Source:
Rice F, Harold G, Thapar A.
The genetic aetiology of childhood depression: a review.
Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines. 2002; 43: 65-79.

² In other families, though, depression strikes out of the blue.
Bad childhood experiences. Children who have been neglected or abused or who have had some other kind of bad event in their lives can become 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.

³
Friendship problems. If your child doesn't have many friends and doesn't have any close ones, they are more likely to get depressed.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹
Being very emotional. Children who are very emotional are more likely to get depressed. Your child might burst into tears easily or react quickly to things that happen. More girls than boys have this personality.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹
Negative thinking. The way your child thinks can also make them more prone to depression. Some children have negative thoughts and blame themselves for bad things that happen.

Source:
Gladstone TR, Kaslow NJ
Depression and attributions in children and adolescents: a meta-analytic review.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1995; 23: 597-606.

⁴
Brain chemicals or hormones out of balance. Children with depression may have too much or too little of some chemicals that make their brain work. These are called

neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help to carry messages between nerve cells. Serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline are all neurotransmitters.

neurotransmitters. Some

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 may also be out of balance.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹
Physical illness. Children who have a long illness are more likely to be depressed. Depression can also happen after an

infection
You get an infection when viruses, bacteria, fungi or other tiny organisms get into your body. These bugs are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. For example, an infection in your airways causes the common cold. And an infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.

infection. And it can be linked to chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

⁵

Source:
Garralda E, Rangel L, Levin M, et al
Psychiatric adjustment in adolescents with a history of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1999; 38: 1515-1521.

⁶ (One of the main symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome is feeling exhausted for no known reason for more than six months.)
Being a girl. Among young children, just as many boys get depressed as girls. But by

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, depression affects twice as many teenage girls as boys. The way girls think may make them more prone to 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.

⁷ Or changes in hormones at puberty could increase the risk of girls getting depressed.

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

⁸
Drug abuse. Using marijuana at a young age may affect mental health and is linked to depression.

Source:
Rey JM, Martin A, Krabman P.
Is the party over? Cannabis and juvenile psychiatric disorder: the past 10 years.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004; 43: 1194-1205.

⁹
Having another disorder. Your child is more likely to get depressed if they are disabled or have a behavior or learning problem.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹

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.

³ This includes conditions such as anxiety, eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD for short), autism, Asperger's syndrome and other learning problems. Between 50 percent and 80 percent of depressed children and teenagers have another disorder.

Many bouts of depression in children and teenagers happen when there are family or relationship problems in the young person's life.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

¹ This can be family fighting, divorce, violence at home, physical or sexual abuse, bullying, failing exams or not having any friends.

A stressful event, such as losing a parent or having parents who divorce, may trigger depression in your child.

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.

³ Between one-half and two-thirds of children at risk for depression get it after something bad happens to them.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Depression in children and young people.
October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

Sources for the information on this page:

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.Depression in children and young people.October 2005. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg28 (accessed on 27 January 2009).

Rice F, Harold G, Thapar A.The genetic aetiology of childhood depression: a review.Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines. 2002; 43: 65-79.

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.

Gladstone TR, Kaslow NJDepression and attributions in children and adolescents: a meta-analytic review.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1995; 23: 597-606.

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

Garralda E, Rangel L, Levin M, et alPsychiatric adjustment in adolescents with a history of chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1999; 38: 1515-1521.

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.

Rey JM, Martin A, Krabman P.Is the party over? Cannabis and juvenile psychiatric disorder: the past 10 years.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004; 43: 1194-1205.

This information was last updated on Feb 05, 2009

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