title: The effect of concomitant disorders in childhood depression on predicting treatment response.
abstract: Children with pure depression or depression plus an anxiety-related disorder (n = 14) had a higher drug response rate (57%) and a lower placebo response rate (20%) when compared to children with depression plus a concomitant conduct or oppositional disorder (n = 17) (33% drug response rate and 67% placebo response rate). These findings could explain why studies of prepubertal-onset depression found no differences between drug and placebo treatment assuming that a large percentage of the studies' subjects had concomitant conduct or oppositional disorders. The children with pure depression or depression plus an anxiety-related disorder had different symptom clusters from those with depression plus a concomitant conduct or oppositional disorder. The former had more severe CDRS ratings on sleep, appetite disturbance, depressed feelings, and psychomotor retardation. In contrast, those with a concomitant conduct or oppositional disorder had shorter attention spans and were more likely to disturb other children (based on Conners scale scores).
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Research Institute, St. Francis Regional Medical Center, Wichita, KS.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Preskorn
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hassanein
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tucker
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales