Children and Youth

Children don’t typically have the vocabulary to express deep feelings of sadness and, instead, express their troubled mood through behaviours. The signs of possible depression in children and teens involve a noticeable change; a usually sunny child or teen becomes sad and withdrawn, school performance drops, hygiene suffers, friends are avoided and appetite is off. They may have angry outbursts and begin to abuse drugs and alcohol.

The age with the highest rate of depression symptoms is those under 20. Teens with depression, especially, are at a high risk of suicide. Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among Canadian teens and young adults aged 15 – 24.