Spirituality/Medicine Interface Project

Depression and Suicide in Children and Adolescents: A Spiritual Perspective

Authors: Allan M. Josephson, MD

Abstract

Depression in children and in adolescents refers to an enduring mood change with associated changes in important aspects of daily functioning, such as attention, appetite, and sleep. Suicidal behavior is a symptom, not a diagnosis, linked to depression. While depression is a condition with multiple etiologic factors, most can be encompassed in an interactive model—depression occurs when a vulnerable child interacts with a stressful environment. The point prevalence of depression ranges from 1 to 3% in prepubertal children and from 3 to 9% in adolescents, indicating that advancing age is a risk factor in depression.1 Thus, any consideration of depression in children and adolescents must consider developmental factors. Children have a relative biologic vulnerability to depression, some more so than others, but this will not be reviewed here. This short report will focus on the relationship of emotional development to spiritual factors in the onset and maintenance of depression in children and adolescents.

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