Clinical features of depressive disorders in childhood and adolescence

Introduction. Depressive disorders in children are highly prevalent, but are difficult to diagnose and remain unrecognized for a long time due to the atypical clinical picture and masking of depressive symptoms by other psychosomatic disorders. The structure of depression in children may include circadian rhythm and vital symptoms characteristic of endogenous depression. At preschool age, attention deficit syndrome, anxiety-phobic disorders, sleep and appetite disorders, and behavioral disorders within the family circle are the most common ones. The differences in the clinical picture of the course of depressive disorders and concomitant mental and somatovegetative disorders in childhood require more detailed study.