What is the difference between depression and bereavement?
If your child or adolescent is experiencing depressive symptoms related to the loss of a parent, grandparent, friend, or pet, he or she is suffering from bereavement, not clinical depression. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersFourth Edition (DSM-IV), bereavement is classified as a stressor that mayrequireclinical attention, but it is not a mental disorder. More about bereavement With depression, these feelings arise without a loss, or if a loss is experienced by the child, the depressive symptoms last much longer than normal grief.
