My five year old says he doesnt want to live anymore

For months now my son has grown increasingly irritable and tearful.  He is the only kid on his soccer team that refuses to play and cries and cries for us when we have him sit with his team.  (We DO make him sit with his team like the other kids, we do not give in to this).  He says things frequently about the kids at school don't like him, that one kid inparticular is mean to him (which is true because I witnessed it at my son's birthday party last year).  He says we don't love him, when I tell him he did a wonderful job cleaning his room or making his bead he replies "no i didnt, im a bad boy".  I mean NOBODY that I know of calls hm bad or tells him they dont love him.  I separated from his father about 3 years ago and I don't know if this is just a latent reaction to the divorce.  I now live with my girlfriend, but the kids never seem to have a problem with mom being gay at all.  They always say they love her, they draw pictures of their family and include her in the picture.  When I call the kids at their dad's house, he asks to talk to her as well as to me.
Can such a young child be depressed?  I have been diagnosed since age 15 with major depression with psychotic features as well as borderline personality disorder.  So, I know it is possible he coud take after me.  I am really concerned. I was so scared when I heard him tell me he wants to go away and he just doesnt want to be alive anymore...I meanI have never said anything like that since I was 15 and my kids have never seen me at my worst, as I have been much more stable since my late 20's til now (I'm 30 now).  I am at a loss and I am very frightened.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Yes, it is possible for a child as young as your son to display a mood disorder, and with the positve family history he is more vulnerable to such a condition because of the nature of biologically-based mental and emotional disorders.

You would be helping him a great deal by consulting with a mental health clinician as soon as possible, and be sure to inform the clinician of your own history (as well as that of any other family fembers - including extended family).