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Depression in Children
Depression in Children Treatment
Specialist Assessment & Support for Childhood Depression in London
At London Paediatric Clinic, our experienced paediatricians provide expert assessment and support for children experiencing depression and other emotional wellbeing concerns. We understand that childhood is a crucial stage of emotional, social, and psychological development, and while occasional changes in mood are a normal part of growing up, persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or loss of interest in everyday activities may be a sign of depression. Our aim is to identify concerns as early as possible, provide compassionate, non-judgemental care, and ensure every child receives the personalised support they need to recover and thrive.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions affecting children and adolescents and can have a significant impact on emotional wellbeing, relationships, education, confidence, sleep, appetite, and physical health. Symptoms often develop gradually and may be difficult to recognise, particularly as children do not always express how they are feeling. Without appropriate support, depression can affect a child’s development and quality of life. Early specialist assessment is essential to establish an accurate diagnosis, identify any contributing factors, and provide timely access to the most appropriate treatment and ongoing support.
Our consultant-led approach focuses on understanding your child’s emotional wellbeing, medical history, family circumstances, school life, friendships, and overall development. We provide prompt access to psychological assessment and work closely with our multidisciplinary team, including experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists where appropriate. Conveniently located in Central London, London Paediatric Clinic offers comprehensive private assessment and ongoing care for children with depression, helping young people improve their emotional wellbeing, build resilience, regain confidence, and enjoy a healthier future.
Dr Badr Chaban
MD MRCPCH MSc
Why Choose Us for Depression Assessment?
Experienced Paediatricians
Our experienced paediatricians provide expert assessment, diagnosis, and ongoing support for children experiencing depression and other emotional wellbeing concerns.
Comprehensive Emotional Wellbeing Assessments
We perform thorough assessments of your child's emotional health, behaviour, family circumstances, school life, and overall wellbeing to identify the underlying causes of their symptoms.
Same-Day Appointments Available
Where available, we offer same-day appointments, providing prompt specialist assessment and early support when it matters most.
Rapid Access to Specialist Mental Health Support
We can arrange prompt access to experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, and other mental health professionals where appropriate.
Ongoing Support & Family-Centred Care
We provide coordinated follow-up, personalised treatment plans, and ongoing multidisciplinary support for children and their families throughout recovery.
Home Visits & Central London Clinic
We offer home visits alongside our conveniently located Central London clinic, providing families with flexible access to experienced paediatric care.
Testimonials
Comprehensive Depression Assessments
Every child experiences depression differently, and early assessment is essential for achieving the best possible outcomes. During appointments, our experienced paediatricians take time to understand your child’s mood, emotions, behaviour, medical history, family circumstances, school life, friendships, sleep, appetite, and any recent life events or sources of stress. We carefully assess your child’s emotional and physical wellbeing, identify any contributing biological, psychological, or environmental factors, and evaluate how symptoms are affecting their daily life, education, relationships, and overall development. This comprehensive assessment enables us to establish an accurate diagnosis and develop a personalised treatment plan tailored to your child’s individual needs.
We assess children experiencing persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities, anxiety, social withdrawal, irritability, changes in sleep or appetite, declining school performance, low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, emotional distress, or other concerns affecting their mental wellbeing. Where appropriate, we can arrange prompt access to experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, counselling services, and our multidisciplinary team, ensuring children receive timely diagnosis, coordinated care, and ongoing support to achieve the best possible long-term outcomes.
Consultation Fees
Price
£300
Our consultation fee is £300 for both initial and follow-up appointments. During your consultation, your consultant paediatrician will assess your child’s needs, discuss any concerns, review results where appropriate, and provide personalised advice, diagnosis and ongoing management.
Private Medical Insurance
At London Paediatric Clinic, we aim to make accessing specialist paediatric care as straightforward as possible. We accept most major private medical insurers and can provide guidance regarding authorisation requirements, coverage, and the options available to you, helping make the process clear and stress-free so you can focus on your child's health and wellbeing.
Understanding Depression in Children
Depression is more than simply feeling sad or experiencing occasional low moods. It is a recognised mental health condition that affects the way a child thinks, feels, and behaves. Depression can interfere with school, friendships, family life, hobbies, and everyday activities, making it difficult for children to enjoy the things they once found rewarding, cope with daily challenges, or reach their full potential. Without appropriate support, depression can have a significant impact on a child’s emotional wellbeing, development, and quality of life.
Depression can affect children of all ages and often develops as a result of a combination of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. The condition is highly treatable, and with early recognition, specialist assessment, and appropriate support, most children make an excellent recovery. Early intervention not only helps relieve symptoms but also supports healthy emotional development, strengthens resilience, and enables children to enjoy happier, healthier lives.
Recognising the Signs of Depression
Depression can affect every child differently, and symptoms may develop gradually over weeks or months. Common signs include persistent sadness, irritability, loss of interest in hobbies or favourite activities, withdrawal from family or friends, changes in sleep or appetite, tiredness, poor concentration, reduced motivation, declining school performance, low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, or hopelessness. Some children may also complain of headaches, stomach aches, or other physical symptoms without an obvious medical cause.
The signs of depression are not always obvious and can sometimes be mistaken for normal changes during childhood or adolescence. However, persistent changes in mood, behaviour, confidence, or daily functioning should not be ignored. Early specialist assessment can help establish an accurate diagnosis, identify any underlying or contributing conditions, and ensure children receive timely access to the most appropriate treatment and support, helping them regain their emotional wellbeing and quality of life.
Common Causes of Depression
Depression rarely has a single cause. Instead, it usually develops through a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Family history of depression, bullying, academic pressures, stressful life events, anxiety, chronic medical conditions, trauma, social difficulties, low self-esteem, and significant changes within the family can all contribute to the development of depression during childhood. In many cases, several of these factors occur together, making it important to understand the wider circumstances affecting a child’s emotional wellbeing.
Understanding the underlying causes of your child’s symptoms is an important step towards effective treatment. Our experienced paediatricians take a holistic approach, carefully assessing your child’s physical health, emotional wellbeing, family circumstances, school life, friendships, and social environment. Where appropriate, we work closely with experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, and other members of our multidisciplinary team to establish an accurate diagnosis and develop a personalised treatment plan that supports your child’s long-term emotional health and wellbeing.
When Should You Seek Specialist Advice?
Specialist assessment may be beneficial if your child experiences persistent low mood lasting more than two weeks, loses interest in activities they previously enjoyed, becomes increasingly withdrawn, experiences significant changes in sleep or appetite, struggles at school, or shows ongoing emotional or behavioural changes. Children experiencing anxiety, low self-esteem, overwhelming stress, persistent irritability, or concerns about self-harm should also receive prompt specialist assessment. Parents who feel that something is not quite right should trust their instincts and seek professional advice.
Early intervention provides the best opportunity for recovery and can significantly improve a child’s long-term emotional wellbeing. Through comprehensive assessment and prompt access to psychological support and multidisciplinary care, we identify the underlying causes of your child’s symptoms, provide an accurate diagnosis, and develop a personalised treatment plan to help them regain confidence, build resilience, and enjoy a happier, healthier future.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Following assessment, we provide clear explanations and personalised recommendations tailored to your child’s individual needs. Depending on the severity of symptoms and the underlying factors involved, treatment may include psychological therapy, counselling, family support, lifestyle advice, ongoing monitoring, or referral to specialist child and adolescent mental health services where appropriate. Our aim is to relieve symptoms, strengthen emotional resilience, improve confidence, and support your child’s long-term mental health, development, and overall wellbeing.
Where appropriate, we can arrange prompt access to experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, and our multidisciplinary team to ensure your child receives comprehensive, coordinated care. Through ongoing follow-up and personalised treatment plans, we support both children and their families throughout recovery, helping young people develop healthy coping strategies and achieve the best possible long-term outcomes.
Concerned About Your Child's Emotional Wellbeing?
If your child has been struggling with persistent low mood, changes in behaviour, loss of confidence, or other symptoms of depression, an early specialist assessment can make a significant difference. Our experienced paediatricians provide expert assessment, prompt access to multidisciplinary mental health support, and personalised care to help children recover, build resilience, and enjoy happier, healthier lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if my child may be experiencing depression?
While all children experience occasional sadness or mood changes, persistent low mood, withdrawal from family or friends, loss of interest in favourite activities, changes in sleep or appetite, declining school performance, irritability, or ongoing emotional distress may indicate depression. If these symptoms persist for more than two weeks or begin to affect your child’s daily life, specialist assessment is recommended.
What causes depression in children?
Depression rarely has a single cause and often develops as a result of several biological, psychological, and environmental factors working together. These may include family history, stressful life events, bullying, anxiety, chronic health conditions, trauma, family difficulties, or other emotional challenges.
What happens during a depression assessment?
Your child’s assessment includes a detailed discussion about their symptoms, emotional wellbeing, behaviour, medical history, family circumstances, school life, and overall development. This allows us to identify any contributing factors, establish an accurate diagnosis, and recommend the most appropriate treatment and support.
Will my child need to see a psychologist?
Many children benefit from psychological therapy as part of their treatment. Where appropriate, we can arrange prompt access to experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, and other members of our multidisciplinary team to ensure comprehensive, coordinated care.
Can depression be successfully treated?
Yes. With early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and ongoing support, most children make an excellent recovery. Early intervention can improve emotional wellbeing, strengthen resilience, and help children return to enjoying school, friendships, family life, and everyday activities.
Will my child need ongoing follow-up?
Some children benefit from a single assessment and short-term support, while others require ongoing monitoring and multidisciplinary care. Any follow-up is tailored to your child’s individual needs, symptoms, and progress throughout their recovery.
Do I need a referral?
No. You do not usually need a GP or hospital referral to arrange a private depression assessment at London Paediatric Clinic.
How quickly can my child be seen?
We understand how worrying emotional wellbeing concerns can be for families. London Paediatric Clinic offers prompt appointments and, where available, same-day consultations, providing rapid access to experienced paediatricians, specialist mental health support, and personalised care without unnecessary delays.
Need to Speak to a Paediatrician Today?
Whether you have concerns about your child’s health, development, behaviour, sleep, nutrition, or wellbeing, our experienced paediatric team is here to help. Same-day appointments are available where possible, helping families access expert care when they need it most.
Our Location
Address: 90 Sloane Street, Chelsea SW1X 9PQ
Conveniently located at 90 Sloane Street in the heart of Central London, London Paediatric Clinic offers easy access to expert private paediatric care for babies, children, and teenagers.