Depression in infancy

The evolution of the concept of depression in infancy (0-3 years) is relatively new and follows a path similar to the history of depression in adolescence, then in childhood, and in preschool years. It started with Spitz observation of a depressive clinical syndrome, named anaclitic depression, followed by Bowlby's description of three phases in the development of infants who have been separated from their caregiver. Kreisler linked life-threatening feeding disorders with depression in infancy. This article reviews the different causes of depression in infancy. Clinical vignettes illustrate some of them. The main unanswered question is whether depression in infancy can be primary. Diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses and prognoses are reviewed, as well as therapeutic concerns specific to infancy.