Abstract
Mood disorders are the best predictor of suicide in adolescents. Between more early the mood disorders settles, greater it is the risk of suicide and attempts of suicide. Depression symptom is not synonymous of sadness or infelicitous, but both are elements of the depression. The depression as syndrome requires the combination of signs and symptoms that in the case of the children, being developing individuals, will be variable. Depression of children and adolescents has a deep implication in medical and psychiatric culture, economy, services, scholar performance and family life. In today’s classifications of the Worldwide Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association the depression criteria are essentially the same in children, adolescents and adults. Children must exhibit depressive symptoms with nondepressive equivalent; these can be psychosomatic, behavioral or social upheavals. Clinical reports on infantile depression show permanent changes in children behavior. Some studies show that these children are more susceptible to make infections and delays in the development. Between seven to 10 years old they can present loss of self-esteem, auto-isolation, and recognitions of intimidate elements in his atmosphere, and to avoid potentially frustrating experiences they react with anxiety, rages, sadness or disinterestedness. In children of pubertal age the pathological mechanisms of defense approach the model of the adult depression and force the parents to react with their adult resource. Between the clinical variants of the depression they are the major depressive disorders than it is the most frequent and bipolar disorder. As far as the comorbidity, the four more frequent diagnoses are: anxiety disorders, disruptive, abuse of substances and anorexia nervosa. Depression in children and adolescents is a frequent clinical picture and can persist until the adult life. The combination of psychotherapy, psicoeducation and psychopharmacology has demonstrated to be useful.
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