It would have taken a hard heart not to be moved by the tremulous voice of this child describing his depression and dreams: "I could just kill myself [and] I wouldn't have to face today." Nine-year-old Paul is already weighed down by a burden many adults would struggle with.Depression Awareness Week, which draws to a close today, has stressed that the torment the condition can impose on the very young deserves much more awareness.A recent study in the UK found that about 8000 children aged 10 or under suffer from severe depression.The World Health Organisation, in a report last month, found a "concerning" 54% increase in the number of under-18s for whom antidepressants were prescribed between 2005 and 2012.Antidepressants are a recognised treatment for managing depression in children, though only in conjunction with psychological therapies, not as a first port of call.Tina Crawford's previously sunny eight-year-old son Toby showed symptoms of depression at the age of five. Clearly intellectually advanced, he spent hours devouring maths puzzles.Crawford, 43, took him to be assessed by Potential Plus UK, where she was told that he had an IQ of 154.But Toby struggled at the local primary school."He loved being challenged but he was so young and he felt under so much pressure to excel," said Crawford.By the time he started his second year at primary school, aged five, Toby was being bullied and was increasingly isolated. One day he said to his mother: "Life is like a maze, only bigger, isn't it? It feels like I'm getting lost."Two out of three intellectually gifted children feel anxious or sad, according to Potential Plus UK."Many of these children think very deeply and tend to be highly sensitive," said Denise Yates, chief executive of Potential Plus UK. "They are often perfectionists, and are more likely to be socially isolated and bullied."..