emotional 8 year old boy - normal? just sensitive?...or signs of depression?

[knakered]

have an 8 year old son who has frequent (1-2/week)emotional sessions that involve a lot of painful tears, red faced frustration, distress etc around...nobody loves me, I never get invited to xyz, stop annoying me...they are annoying me...last year it was really bad and I thought directly related to his school change - crying every day for a year..."I have no friends...everyone is mean to me.."...after hoping he would settle and working with school to asses whether there was a bullying situation to no improvement we moved his school - all is now happy on the school front ...but we now have the same outburst over home related incidents and sometimes in the school run car journies -- he either has a low iritability threshold as he seems to be unable to cope with boyish banter - or what is worrying me now is it something more??...there is a history fo depression in the family ...my grandfather, couple of cousins _ I have experienced bleak periods in my life where I have felt paralysed by normal life and had PND - however I had thought the family bit is possibly only the population average (I have a massive familY) and I had a very difficult
childhood was my reason for being depressed. I look at my son and am terrified that He may have to feel and does feel how I felt...is it "just normal"...is it "just his character"...or is it some level of depression?...how do I know?....how can i best help him?...or am I just being unrealistic that all children are sunny little souls - I have 3 others Children and they do not exhibit this kind of emotion. I have also posted this on the parenting topic...so please dont shout at me for posting twice as on reflection I thought i might get a more informed response from this section of MNs

[sazjaz]

hi i have an 8 y o son too who seems to be going through the same sort of thing .although not that extent ..in the last 2 weeks he has packed his bags and gone to go out the door saying he hates living here and nobody loves him . he gets in trouble at school which is unusual because he is normally good .he has three younger sisters who really get on his nerves . i think he feels like he cant get away . he lashes out at the 4 year old in temper .i dont know if u have heard of sure start , but i am at the moment getting help from them to see if its depression or not .