Depression in der frühen Kindheit

The development of the concept of depression in infants (0-3 years of age) is relatively new and follows a path similar to that of the history of the diagnosis of depression in adolescence, and then in earlier school-aged and later also in pre-school children. It started with the observation by Spitz of a clinical depressive syndrom in infants that was named anaclitic depression. It was followed by Bowlby, who described three developmental phases in infants who wete separated from their familiar caregivers. Kreisler connected life-threatening feeding problems with depression in infancy. The present article discusses different causes for depression in infancy illustrated by case reports. The most important - still open - question is whether an infant can have a primary depression. Diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis and prognosis, further specific therapeutic approaches for infants are presented.