Children exhibit many of the same signs or symptoms as adults regarding depression, including persistent sadness and hopelessness such as excessive crying or moping; withdrawal from friends and family; withdrawal from activities once enjoyed such as sports or other recreational events; increased irritability or agitation such as a quick temper or suddenly becoming easily irritated; an increase in school absences; poor school performance including lower grades and a decrease in class participation; changes in eating habits resulting in either a significant weight loss or weight gain; drastic changes in sleeping habits such as insomnia or excessive sleep patterns; feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt such as taking the blame for everything that is going wrong in the home; frequent physical complaints such as frequent headaches and stomachaches; a lack of enthusiasm or motivation which can be a direct result of the change in their sleep patterns; low energy and chronic fatigue an additional result of change in sleep and eating patterns; drug and/or alcohol abuse; and recurring thoughts of death or suicide with an increased interest in violent movies and/or video games
(Williamson).
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has done extensive research and reported that children under stress, those who have experienced a loss, or those who have attention, learning, or conduct disorders are at a higher risk for depression (Williamson). These conditions are more prevalent in today's society with the divorce rate in the United States being one in every two marriages failing, leaving children torn between their parents. In addition, violent crime is up in many cities leaving many children without their parents all together. .
Children's depression can also be intensified and effected by those around them. By nature, children are very cruel (unintentionally sometimes) and tend to make the children who already have these problems feel worse about themselves.