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Review
. 2019 Nov 20;21(12):128.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-019-1102-4.

Preschool Depression: a Diagnostic Reality

Meghan Rose Donohue  1 , Diana J Whalen  2 , Kirsten E Gilbert  2 , Laura Hennefield  2 , Deanna M Barch  2   3   4 , Joan Luby  2
Affiliations
Review

Preschool Depression: a Diagnostic Reality

Meghan Rose Donohue et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: We review findings related to predictors, correlates, outcomes, and treatment of preschool depression that have been published in the last 3 years.

Recent findings: Preschool depression displays a chronic course through late adolescence and is associated with temperamental and personality traits, poorer physical health, and negative parenting practices. Preschool depression predicts deficits into adolescence, including social difficulties and blunted neural response to rewards. Depressed preschoolers can experience suicidal ideation and behaviors and display an accurate understanding of the finality of death. A treatment for preschool depression has now been validated that uses the parent-child relationship to enhance emotion development and reduce depressive symptoms. Preschool depression is homotypic with depression that occurs later in life. Future work elucidating mechanisms through which preschool depression develops and informs the sub-groups for which particular treatments may be most effective will have considerable implications for prevention and early intervention.

Keywords: Neurobiology; Physical health; Preschool depression; Review; Social functioning; Suicidality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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