There is controversy whether true depression can exists prior to late childhood. The reaction of infants to separation may be better conceived of as a grief reaction. The question is how the developmental process allows or limits the experience or expression of varying pathological moods and affects.

• Depression like States of Infancy
• Depression During Early Childhood
• Depression in Middle and Late Childhood
• Attempts at Classification of Childhood Depression
• Depression in Adolescence
• Juvenile Manic-Depressive Disorders
• Conclusion