Quoting the exact percentages of children and teens that are depressed is like nailing jelly to a tree! The numbers change every day. Research studies often focus on certain aspects of depression, or use a group of children from a certain region of the country. Many things affect these studies and their outcomes. Unfortunately, what is known for sure is that the prevalence for depressive disorders is on the rise.

The Numbers

Among preschoolers, depression is thought to affect between .3 percent to 1 percent of the population. Anywhere from 1 percent to 9 percent of school-age children and approximately 8 percent of adolescents will have a major depressive episode. For teenagers, that's one out of every eight.

According to a 2004 study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 10 percent of kids ages 12 to 17 had had at least one major depressive episode. The number of boys and girls who suffer from depression is about equal until adolescence. Girls have twice as much of a chance of experiencing depression from adolescence into adulthood.

You might prefer to look at the numbers and figure out the odds are in your favor that your child won't be one of the unfortunate to have depression. No matter how you try to wish it away, however, no one knows why some will become depressed and others never suffer from it.

Does Depression Come Back?

Most of the time, the depressive episode will last a year or less. It is believed that 70 percent of children who have depression will suffer a recurrence at some point in their lives. If the onset of the first episode is before the age of fourteen, these children are at the greatest risk for recurrence. Likewise, as other problems exist in the home, such as divorce, major conflict, and chronic physical illness, these factors increase your child's chances of having future recurrences. Every time there is a recurrence it increases the likelihood for even more.