Is It More Than a Frown?

Your two-year-old son hasn’t been his usual energetic self lately. He no longer enjoys his favorite cartoons, and instead of playing with other children at pre-school, he prefers to be alone. When you try to comfort him, he becomes cranky. Could he be depressed?

Most people assume only adults can suffer from the blues, but research shows that depression is just as likely to affect toddlers and adolescents.

“Most kids overcome an unfavorable experience in just a few days,” said Ayelet Talmi, PhD, psychologist at The Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. “For example, a child who is unhappy because his favorite toy was taken away will normally get past it fairly quickly. However, depressed children remain sad, often without an identifiable reason, for a couple of weeks or longer.”

Signs of Depression

In toddlers, the most common emotional signs of depression are sadness, a seemingly disconnected or faraway look, displays of anger and aggression, loss of pleasure in activities they once enjoyed, a timid or fearful appearance and irritability for at least two weeks.

“Parents can find it difficult to understand that their child might be dealing with depression,” Dr. Talmi said. “At Children’s, we offer counseling services and work with parents to help manage symptoms and structure a routine so their child can have a happy, healthy childhood.”

For more information on childhood depression, visit www.thechildrenshospital.org and click on “Conditions We Treat” followed by “Behavior and Development.”