Is Eleven too Young for Depression?

Question:

Hi Phyllis! I love the alice series! I was wondering if maybe you could help me with a problem? I have tons of friends but i think maybe they don’t really like me. I write to my best friend and I have a counselor and I try talking to my parents and I’m involved in all that after-school junk people are always talking about, but I kind of feel a littel depressed. Is 11 too young for depression? What should I do?

Phyllis replied:

Children can feel sad and depressed as well as adults, but rather than try to put a label on it, it’s also helpful to know that your anxiety about whether or not your friends really like you is quite common.  There’s probably not an eleven year-old ( or 12 year old or 18 year-old) anywhere who hasn’t wondered whether some people like her as much as she likes them.  We go all our lives wondering whether we have said or done the right thing, what other people think of us, and just how much they like us.  It’s good that you have a counselor, however, and that you can talk to your parents and your best friend.  If you feel depressed a lot, ask your counselor the same question you asked me.  I’m sure she/he knows you better than I do.