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Doctors' Notes: Activity helps protect against childhood depression I Toronto Star
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Doctors' Notes: Activity helps protect
against childhood depression
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By DR. DAPHNE KORCZAK
Mon., April 17, 2017
Regular physical activity goes a long way toward improving our kids' physical health — but did y
know it might help protect against depression as well? I
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Children who show less interest in the friends, activities or clubs they usually enjoy could -
b`• . signsd`M' ♦ rR
By DR. DAPHNE KORCZAK
Mon., April 17, 2017
Regular physical activity goes a long way toward improving our kids' physical health — but did y
know it might help protect against depression as well? I
https://www.thestar.com/1 ifethealth_wel I ness/2017/04/17/doctors-notes-activity-hel ps-protect-against-childhood-depression.htm 1 1/4
4/18/2017 Doctors' Notes: Activity helps protect against childhood depression I Toronto Star
As a child and adolescent psychiatrist and researcher, I recently completed a study exploring the
potential protective effects of physical activity. We looked at 40 studies involving go,000 healthy
children between 8 and 19 years old and we found a relationship between being more active and
having fewer depressive symptoms in the future.
Of course, like any illnesses, a number of factors can play a role in the development of
depression.
A family history of depression — especially in a parent — can place a child at higher likelihood of
developing the illness. We also know kids who don't feel like they fit in with their peers or silently
struggle at school are at higher risk. This can sometimes be the result of having an undetected
learning disability, being bullied or socially excluded, or being in an academic program that doesn't
recognize their strengths.
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also see the potential we have to make an impact on their lives when they receive the help they
need. Some people worry that talking about sadness or other symptoms of depression will make
Sometimes people also think that when children experience depression, their behaviours are
somehow wilful or voluntary. But the more we learn about mental illness, the more we understand
that these are symptoms of disorders that affect brain and the body that need treatment, like any
other illness.
More than 3 million youth between the ages Of 12 and 19 are at risk for developing depression.
Depression can also occur alongside other conditions, including anxiety disorders or attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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4/18/2017 Doctors' Notes: Activity helps protect against childhood depression I Toronto Star
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Research also suggests that these kinds of problems continue as children grow older. More than 70
per cent of adults with mental illness experienced their symptoms for the first time as a child or
youth.
We know more today than ever before about the toll depression can take on children and
adolescents, but there is still a lot of work to do. Compared to the impact this illness has on the
young people who live with it, funding for research into the cause and the treatment of depression
is still relatively small.
But depression can have a devastating impact on children and their families, and the research is
needed. At SickK-ids, my colleagues and I are leading studies to learn more about the risk factors
and the causes of depression, and what the most effective interventions might be. Those are just a
few examples.
If you're concerned your child might be depressed, the first step is to talk with him or her. Ask how
they're feeling, listen, and offer your support. Don't be afraid to reach out to your family doctor or
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4/18/2017 Doctors' Notes: Activity helps protect against childhood depression I Toronto Star
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Dr. Daphne Korczak is an assistant professor in the department ofpsychiatry at the University of
Toronto and a member of the Institute ofMedical Science. She is the director o the Children's
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Integrated Mood and Body (CLIMB) Depression Program and a child and adolescent
psychiatrist at the Hospitalfor Sick Children. Doctors'Notes is a weekly column by members of
the Uof TFaculty ofMedicine. Email doctorsnotes@thestar.ca.
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