4 Troubled Teens Blog

Even Infants Show Signs of Depression, Anxiety

Most parents probably don't worry about depression and related mood disorders in their children until the teen years. But a new study indicates that even infants can suffer from these and other mental health problems.

A new study from Canada found that almost 15 percent of preschoolers have high levels of depression and anxiety. Children whose mothers are depressed are at high risk for the disorder, which can show up even in five-month-old babies.

Dr. Sylvana Cote of the University of Montreal and her colleagues are studied 1,758 children from Quebec for five years.

We found that lifetime maternal depression was the second most important predictor of atypically high depressive and anxiety problems during preschool years, Dr. Cote wrote. Difficult temperament at five months was the most important predictor of depression and anxiety.

The study appeared in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Labels: depression, anxiety, infants

Posted By: Aspen/CRC

Comments:

Anxiety Teens on 11/7/2009
Very interesting article! Thanks for sharing