Sintomatología depresiva en niños: Estudio de una muestra de escolares de la zona sur de Madrid capital

Abstract

The interest for child depression has increased during recent years. Previously it was thought that childhood was certainly a "happy period" and consequently it was ignored the possibility that children could suffer this medical condition. Even nowadays, within the theoretical debate, there is not always an agreement about this illness. It is not easy to make a medical diagnosis since the younger the children are, the more difficult is to find the depression symptoms as they differ greatly from the ones found in adults. This article is based in a previous research that aimed to find cases of child depression within the school population. Taking this research as a starting point, it was reviewed the relevant theoretical questions about the causes and consequences of depression during the childhood. At the same time the article reveal preventive measures to be applied mainly in schools.