title: Course of major depression in non-referred adolescents: a retrospective study.
abstract: This article reports on a naturalistic study of the course of illness of 38 children diagnosed as having a current or past episode of major depression out of a sample of 275 children who were selected by a method not related to their psychopathology or treatment-seeking behavior. Assessments of the presence of depression and the course of this disorder were made using structured clinical interviews (DICA and DICA-P) and a criterion-based diagnostic system (DSM-III). Longitudinal methods of data analysis included the use of life tables. The proportion of children depressed for 2 years closely resembles the results found in investigations of children who sought treatment for a psychiatric disorder. The probability of remaining depressed in these children was 21% at 1 year after onset, and 10% at the 2-year point. This parallels the rate of chronicity and the decline in rates of recovery which occur over time in adult depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Beardslee
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Lavori
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wunder
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Drs
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Samuelson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology