Depression is the most common mental health problem in the U.S., affecting about 17 million people. But it doesn't just affect adults. Child Psychiatrist Dr. Joan Luby has been studying depression in preschool children for more than 20 years.
“Children as young as age 3 can get clinical depression,” explained Luby, Professor of Psychiatry (Child), Director of the Early Emotional Development Program, Washington University School of Medicine.
In a recent imaging study, Luby’s group found depressed preschoolers had elevated activity in an area of the brain called the amygdala.
“We can see changes in the structure and volume of several key brain regions that are known to be involved in emotion processing,” Luby said.
The study was the first to show these changes in children so young.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/depressed-preschoolers/25639152
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