Depressive Disorders in Childhood

Abstract

The recognition of childhood depression is a relatively recent development in the field of psychology. Prior to the 1980s, it was thought that children lacked the cognitive capacity to experience depression in the same way as adults. Work in recent decades supports the existence of depression in children as young as preschool age; however, in many areas, there remains a dearth of research investigating depression in childhood. This entry discusses the diagnosis and measurement of child depression, demographics and prevalence rates, etiologies, and interventions.