Psychology Today Blog: Depression in Children,
February 15, 2016

Guest blogger David Brent, M.D., reveals what we know and what we don’t know.

How common is depression in children? Depression occurs in 1-2% of children before puberty.You can even see depression in preschoolers, although it’s much less common. That usually occurs when there’s a strong family history of depression. After puberty the rate of depression increases significantly to about 3-8%, with a higher rate in girls than boys.  One in five teens will have experienced a depressive disorder by the time they reach adulthood.