Depression in Children and Teens

Your doctor or another health professional will evaluate and diagnose depression in your child by asking questions about your child's medical history and conducting tests to find out if symptoms are caused by something other than depression. Your child may be given a physical exam or blood tests to rule out conditions such as Reference hypothyroidism Opens New Window and Reference anemia Opens New Window. Your child may be asked to complete a Reference mental health assessment, which tests his or her ability to think, reason, and remember.

You may be asked to help complete a pediatric symptom checklist, a brief screening questionnaire that helps to diagnose depression or other psychological problems in children. Also, your child may be asked to take a short written or verbal test for depression.

Sometimes a more thorough evaluation may be needed to fully assess your child's depression. Interviews may be conducted with the parents or with other people who know the young person well. Specific information may be obtained from the child's teachers or from social service workers.

The Reference U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Opens New Window recommends Reference screening for depression in all children ages 12 to 18.^{Reference 5}

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