Child or youth depression is a subjective experience of sadness or dysphoria, which is accompanied by the loss of the experience of pleasure, social withdrawal, difficulties in concentrating, alterations in biological functions such as eating or sleeping, somatic symptoms and low self-esteem. In childhood and adolescence, depression can also manifest itself through irritability or misconduct.

At the cognitive level, in this form of depression, children or young people have negative thoughts that are related to the person, the environment and the future, as well as incapacitating thoughts that make it difficult for them to achieve their goals and alter their social relationships.

Children and young people need to be provided with the tools to increase their behavioural activation, performing pleasant activities that they previously found pleasurable, learning to detect the negative thoughts that appear and to understand their relationship with their emotions, physiological reactions and behaviour. The goal is for these thoughts to become less intense over time, and for the patient to be equipped with social and interpersonal skills that allow them to integrate into their peer group, recovering the ability to enjoy the social relationships they need.

The work done at Guttmann Barcelona is based on the cognitive behavioural model, incorporating mindfulness-based strategies. The need for pharmacological treatment must also be assessed depending on each case.