Can Preschoolers Be Depressed?

Author: Pamela Paul

Publication Name: The New York Times

Date of Publication: August 25, 2010

Summary:The article, “Can Preschoolers Be Depressed” by Pamela Paul, the cases of different preschoolers found to have been diagnosed with depression and how these children interact are discussed. The first example is about a boy named “Kiran” (a fake name to keep the boy’s identity anonymous). He seemed to be a good child while growing up, until his parents noticed that his actions were not as lively and bright as a normal preschooler should be. When Kiran was 5, he was diagnosed with preschool depression.

Depression was originally thought to have only affected adults, and not something that is found in children. Diagnosis of depression for preschoolers has also been a debate because of the belief that children cannot have such a mental disorder. However, ongoing studies show that children can in fact go through depression despite the young age and that depression can surface in children as young as 2 or 3. Although the fact that children can become depressed is true, it is extremely difficult to diagnose the child because there is little that a young child can directly tell about what is going on in their mind and life.

Studies also show that parents who are also depressed, particularly the mother, have a higher chance of their own children having depression. The children become afraid that they are bad children, and that their parents do not love them. In an effort to correct this thinking in children, they are sent to psychotherapy, with a parental unit, to go through “play therapy.” Another type of therapy is known as the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, or P.C.I.T in which parents are taught to “encourage their children to acquire emotion regulation, stress management, guilt reparation and other coping skills” (Paul). PCIT was originally started in the 1970s and has now been modified to work for depression.

Although there are no definite results, PCIT is known to be a proficient method if the parents are an active part of their child’s process of overcoming depression. Psychologist Alicia Lieberman at U.C.S.F. said that “if you intervene early enough to change negative conditions, rather than perpetuate negative behaviors, you really are preventing the development of a full-fledged diagnosis.”


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Article: Can Preschoolers Be Depressed?

Submitted by Julia Wong