Depression in Children and Adolescents

About this course.

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions affecting children and young people, and it is far more than the ordinary ups and downs of growing up. It is a persistent low mood and loss of interest in things a young person used to enjoy, lasting over time and interfering with everyday life at home, at school and with friends — and because young people cannot always put what they feel into words, and because depression can look very different in a child or teenager than in an adult, it is often missed, dismissed as a ‘phase’, or mistaken for laziness, attitude or bad behaviour.

This course is written for the adults around young people — teachers, teaching assistants, youth and care workers, parents and carers — and explains how depression can show up as irritability, anger, boredom or physical complaints rather than obvious sadness, and what causes it. It then covers how to support a young person by listening, validating, keeping routine and offering reasonable adjustments, and how to respond to any mention of self-harm or suicidal thoughts, report to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and signpost to services such as the GP, CAMHS, YoungMinds, Childline and Samaritans.