Overview of depression in children and adolescents

In the current context, child and adolescent mental health has taken on unprecedented importance. April, Children's Month, reinforces the urgency of focusing attention on the emotional well-being of children and adolescents.

The social and global situations we face—such as the pandemic, violence, poverty, and forced displacement—have significantly increased the risk factors for developing depressive disorders at an early age. Depression in this population is no longer an exception; it is a public health problem that requires visibility, institutional action, and early intervention.

Historical evolution of the clinical recognition of childhood depression

Just 40 years ago, childhood depression was virtually non-existent in medical textbooks. The classic psychiatry textbook Kaplan devoted barely a column and a half to it. Today, it would be unthinkable for a pediatrics or psychiatry textbook not to address this issue extensively.

For example, the first five chapters of the latest edition of the Nelson pediatric manual are devoted to mental health and development. This change reflects how clinical recognition has evolved from denial of childhood suffering to scientific and therapeutic validation.

Depression as a disease: differentiating between symptom and disorder

It is crucial to understand that the word “depression” is used colloquially to describe a low mood. However, in the clinical context, a distinction is made between depressive symptoms—which can appear as part of other medical conditions, such as thyroid disorders or vitamin D deficiency—and depressive disorder as such.

Depressive disorder is coded in international classifications (ICD, DSM) and represents an illness with various forms of presentation: mild, moderate, severe, with or without psychotic symptoms. This distinction is essential to avoid trivializing suffering and to ensure an appropriate clinical approach.