NEWS: Kids as young as five depressed

Children as young as five are being treated for depression. And, according to psychiatrist Dr Lynda Albertyn, the number of children going for treatment is increasing.

Albertyn, head of the child, adolescent and family unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, sees at least 18 children a week and has a four-month waiting list of children needing treatment.

In the Cape, since it opened its doors in June last year, Tygerberg Hospital’s psychiatric department has admitted 120 children for treatment for mental illness.

The hospital’s child and family unit deals with infants, toddlers and schoolchildren.

Dr Anusha Lachman, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Tygerberg, said children were referred to the unit by community clinics, private practitioners and psychologists.

“Most of the children suffer from major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Some are at risk for self-harm or harm to others,” Lachman said.

“Self-harm includes cutting, burning, maladaptive eating behaviours, substance abuse and sexual promiscuity or putting themselves in high-risk situations,” she said.

But not all these children were depressed, Lachman said. Some suffered from anxiety and post-traumatic disorders.

According to specialists, depression in children is multifactorial and affects children from all social classes. However, children from poorer backgrounds were more affected, they said.

Studies show that the strongest predictor of developing depression in childhood is genetic, followed by being exposed to poverty, trauma, neglect or abuse.

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