MALE VS FEMALE SYMPTOMS

BOYS

Lack of pleasure, anhedonia

Morning fatigue and depressed mood in the morning

Acting out

GIRLS

Tend to be more guilt driven

Body-image dissatisfaction, eating disorders

Self-blame, self-disappointment, feelings of failure

Concentration problems, difficulty working

Sleep problems, fatigue, and health worries

Depression can also look different depending on the gender identity of your child. The rate of depression in boys and girls before the age of 12 is the same, but once children hit puberty the rate of depression is twice as high in girls as it is in boys. Therefore, it is necessary for parents of teenage girls to closely monitor their daughters' behavior. While the symptoms tend to be the same for both boys and girls, depression can manifest in very different forms for boys and girls. Manifestations of depression explicitly linked to one gender or another are listed below. Approximately 16% of girls and 8% of boys meet the criteria for a depressive disorder.

Sources

Bennett, D. S., Ambrosini, P. J., Kudes, D., Metz, C., & Rabinovich, H. (2005). Gender differences in adolescent depression: Do symptoms differ for boys and girls? Journal of Affective Disorders, 89(1–3), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2005.05.020

McGuinness, T. M., Dyer, J. G., & Wade, E. H. (2012). Gender differences in adolescent depression. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 50(12), 17–20. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23457713

Lightfoot, C., Cole, M., Cole, S., & Stolarz-Fantino, S. (2013). The development of children (7th ed.).