NEW 2 / SECOND QUARTER / Caterina Krauchuk

Why it’s key to identify preschoolers with anxiety and depression

Nowadays, depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and the most dangerous. But who would thought that this illness could appeared at the age of three?

The task was designed to scare the kids. One by one, adults guided children, ranging in age from 3 to 7, into a dimly lit room containing a mysterious covered mound. To build anticipation, the adults intoned, “I have something in here to show you,” or “Let’s be quiet so it doesn’t wake up.” The adult then uncovered the mound — revealed to be a terrarium — and pulled out a realistic looking plastic snake.

Throughout the 90-second setup, each child wore a small motion sensor affixed to his or her belt. Those sensors measured the child’s movements, such as when they sped up or twisted around, at 100 times per second. Researchers wanted to see if the movements during a scary situation differed between children diagnosed with depression or anxiety and children without such a diagnosis. It turns out they did. Children with a diagnosis turned further away from the perceived threat — the covered terrarium — than those without a diagnosis.

Though estimates vary widely, some 10 to 20 percent of preschool- and kindergarten-age children are thought to suffer from an anxiety disorder and about 2 percent from depression, with some even expressing suicidal feelings. 

- Link of reference: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/why-its-key-identify-preschoolers-anxiety-and-depression

- Date: February 3, 2019.

- Scientific scope: Phsycology. 

- Glossary: 

Dimly (débilmente): Not bright.

Terrarium (terrario): a vivarium for smaller land animals, especially reptiles, amphibians, or terrestrial invertebrates, typically in the form of a glass-fronted case.

- Commentary: 

I already had my theories that depression most of the time is already born with us, but I was also surprised when I read this new. At present, most people of the world have depression, something that is not so surprising if we look at what humanity has done with the world. 
It's really sad to see how the new generations are becoming more and more depressed at the same time that we destroy the world. 
At the same time, I think that we should not interfere a lot with the children, we need to let them be, they need to know all their emotions to face the reality.