Children Show Signs of Depression Early in Life
Study Shows 15% of Preschoolers Suffer From Depression
Sep 1, 2009
Depression has quickly become the most common illness, affecting a large population of adults. It is triggered mostly by stressful, difficult to cope with situations, be they financial or career responsibilities, relationship issues, or other issues.
The most common forms of depression are postpartum depression, which affects women after having a baby; premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which occurs one week prior to menstruation and disappears soon after; and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is due to lack of sunlight and takes a toll during the fall to winter seasons.
Depression is also more common in women than men, and is even more prevalent during the teen years. Since men seem to seek help for feelings of depression less often, it could be said that women may have more documented cases of depression. Despite these findings, the common element for all these types of depression is that they occur mostly to adults, or at least that is the old-school thought.
Early Signs, Equals Early Prevention
According to a research study conducted in Canada entitled “Depression and anxiety symptoms: onset, developmental course and risk factors during early childhood” by the Université de Montréal, Inserm in France, and several other institutions and universities in the U.S. and Ireland, children are now also showing signs of depression at an early stage. Based on a five-year study of behavioral patterns of 1,758 children from Quebec, predictors of depression and anxiety can be found as early as five months of age. Sylvana M. Côté, professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and first author of the study, stated that as early as the first year “there are indications that some children have more risks than others to develop high levels of depression and anxiety."
Parent & Child Connection
The most alarming factor of the study, yet probably also the most obvious as well, was that children with high depression and anxiety levels are also more likely to have mothers with a history of depression. This connection has been documented before, whether through inheritance of genes or/and learned behaviors. However, the researchers of this study claim that this is the first of its kind to find the triggers as such an early stage.
Therefore, there is likely a correlation and root cause that can be prevented if the adults seek the proper type of counseling or treatment. The research entitled “Depression and anxiety symptoms: onset, developmental course and risk factors during early childhood” appears in the June 2009 issue of Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and suggests that "health care professionals should target such high-risk children soon after birth, as well as their parents, in order to have a successful, long-term impact."
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