There is a lot of talk and writing about depression, however, these are usually considerations and advice for adults. This does not mean that children are not affected - on the contrary, depression is a common disorder affecting minors. Due to the slightly different manifestations of depression in children, it is usually not diagnosed as quickly and in some children it is not diagnosed at all.

Minors rarely show the typical symptoms of depressive conditions that we see in adults. Depression in children usually manifests itself in a wide variety of non-specific symptoms, e.g.: anxiety, problems at school, psychosomatic symptoms (stomach aches, headaches, shortness of breath), abnormal behaviour, unwillingness to play, failure to communicate one's wishes or sudden "unjustified" switching from long crying to complete calmness.

Children and adolescents also often lose weight or fail to gain weight. Adolescents no longer feel like spending time together or situations that they used to enjoy very much; they often lock themselves in their room without having the strength or desire to do anything. It is also sometimes the case that they react with aggression by becoming constantly impatient and disobedient.

According to ITAKA Foundation material sources, the most characteristic symptoms of depression in children are:

1. sadness, depression, inability to feel joy ("nothing makes them happy"),
2. reduced interests (e.g. unwillingness to pursue hobbies),
3. reduced activity, apathy, slowing down, unwillingness to act,
4. sleep problems (insomnia or excessive sleepiness),
5. decreased appetite, weight loss, dry mouth,
6. feeling constantly tired, lack of energy,
7. anxiety, feeling of inner tension, "restlessness inside",
8. difficulty concentrating and remembering, impression of intellectual incapacity,
9. feeling of hopelessness, low self-esteem,
10. complaints of pain (headaches, stomachaches, chest pains, neuralgia).

We usually associate depression with complete surrender, but sometimes children can behave in such a way (especially in front of their peers) that no one would suspect them of it.

A typical symptom for children (as described above) is somatic complaints. Working in a gastroenterology department, I have experienced such examples many times. I remember a 17-year-old girl complaining of very severe, paroxysmal abdominal pains, with which her mother went "from doctor to doctor" for several months, an endoscopy and a few more unpleasant examinations were performed and the cause could not be determined, while her depression continued to worsen. Her stomach pains explained her lowered mood, her apathy and her previous difficulties in concentrating (afterwards, the girl did not attend school).During an interview with a psychologist, it turned out that she had already had a suicide attempt. Another 15-year-old girl diagnosed with depression was also suffering from severe diarrhoea for several weeks, as a result of which she was hospitalised.