Many children suffer from depressive symptoms.  However, their symptoms tend to present themselves differently than in adults.  Listed below are symptoms to look for when assessing whether your child is suffering from depression:

INFANCY:  lethargy, feeding and sleeping problems, irritability, sad or expressionless face, decreased affective responsivity, decreased attention and curiosity.

PRESCHOOLERS:  anger and irritability, sad facial expression, labile mood, somatic complaints, feeding and sleeping problems, lethargy, excessive crying, hyper or hypo activity, decreased socialization, tantrums, separation anxiety and anhedonia.

6-8 YEAR OLDS:  prolonged unhappiness, decreased socialization, sleep problems, irritability, lethargy, poor school performance, accident-proneness, phobias, separation anxiety, and attention-seeking behaviors.

9-12 YEAR OLDS:  verbalize feelings of low self-esteem and helplessness, irritability, depressed mood, sad expression, aggression, lethargy, guilt, poor school performance, phobias, separation anxiety, suicidal ideation, hallucinations, self-destructive behaviors.

Thankfully there are many ways to help people who suffer from depression.  Family or individual therapy is just one of those options that has been shown to be effective.