By Dr Himani Khanna
Depression is a mental illness characterised by persistent feelings of sadness, irritability, loss of interest in activities, feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness and even thoughts of suicide. Often, these symptoms can affect a child’s sleeping and eating habits and they may have trouble concentrating on school work, family life, social activities. A diagnosis of depression is given only when these symptoms persist for two weeks or longer and interfere with the child’s ability to function.