Three Types of Childhood Depression

Abstract

This study appears to substantiate clinical impressions regarding the three types of prime symptom depression seen in children. The affectual group occurs in younger children, and seems to give way to a mid-latency negative self-esteem type. Often such negative self-esteem is seen in multiple placement children or in others with chronic losses. Finally, there seems to be a rather uncommon type of guilt depression arising in late latency. By no means all negative self-esteem depressions merge into later guilt depressions. Most likely this latter group represents newly emerging childhood depressive symptoms in those who are old enough to experience an adult type of mourning response. This type of depression is particularly common in those with recent bereavements, and this was true of all the highest D3 scorers. Further clinical investigation of these preliminary findings is continuing.