Childhood depression often occurs in response to an abusive situation that leaves the child at first confused, then shocked and then finally feeling ashamed, frightened and eventually depressed.
Childhood depression that is caused by abuse leads to more incidences of suicides than any other cause of childhood suicide statistics.
Children who are depressed show signs of avoidance, sallow skin, are usually unable to focus on an object for longer than a few seconds and are often labeled as uncooperative.
However, few children who are depressed are labelled as overly talkative.
Childhood depression causes the highest incidences of childhood violence in schools as well as at home.
A child who is depressed is the same as an adult who is depressed in that, if left untreated, the depression will present symptoms of violent behavior like breaking doors, smashing walls and running away from home.
Childhood depression is usually diagnosed as childhood anti-social behavior and very rarely as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder although children who are depressed also have a short attention span.
Children who are simple chemically depressed and have not been abused have a biological depression that can be tested and treated although most physicians do not like to prescribe anti-depressants to children under the age of 12.
It is not difficult to spot childhood depression since some negative behavior is associated with simply rebellion or personality deficiencies.
The symptoms of depression in children are often their quickness to tears and attempts to escape reality.
If the depression is chemical, there are probably other illnesses that might have been inherited or contracted through exposure that are adding to the depressive symptoms of withdrawal, lack of vibrancy in the eyes and morose demeanor.
A mental health professional who is trained to work with children can help determine the cause of childhood depression and its subsequent treatment.