The symptoms of depression in children differ from the adults, and are frequently evidenced by the following problems: attention deficit, hyperactivity, low self-esteem, sadness, fear, sleep disturbances, enuresis, abdominal pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the depressive manifestations in 3-10-year-old children, in the context of nursery school for poor children and in the public healthcare system, in Paranavaí city, State of Paraná. The research was carried out using semi-structured interviews with 5 pediatricians, 2 doctors from the Family Health Program, 6 educators and 4 coordinators at nursery schools for poor children, and a study case on nine children. The findings indicated that all the children of the sample showed significant depressive characteristics, such as an intense psychic suffering and the need for guidance. It was concluded that child depression is manifested in a great number, making evident the necessity that people directly involved with children be aware of the symptoms, since the lack of correct diagnosis and treatment perpetuates the suffering of both the child and the people involved with the referred one.
Childdepression; psychodiagnosis; psychoanalysis