title: Major depression and dysthymia in children and adolescents: discriminant validity and differential consequences in a community sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate evidence, in a community sample, for discriminant validity between major depression (MDD) and dysthymia (Dy) in children and adolescents and to examine differential consequences of the 2 disorders for functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) study consists of probability samples of youths. Data for this study are derived from interviews with 1,285 complete parent-youth pairs aged 9 to 17 years from 4 geographic areas in the United States. Youths with MDD were contrasted with those with Dy and those with both (MDD-Dy) on the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Non-Clinician Children's Global Assessment Scale, Columbia Impairment Scale, and the Service Utilization and Risk Factors Module.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups with MDD, Dy, or MDD-Dy did not differ on sociodemographic, clinical, or family and life event variables. Youths with combined MDD-Dy were significantly less competent and more impaired than youths with either disorder alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings do not provide support for the differentiation of MDD and Dy but strongly suggest the importance of addressing the needs of youths who meet criteria for both MDD and Dy because this combination is likely to be both serious and disruptive of normal developmental processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. psysg@emory.edu
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwab-Stone
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Lahey
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Jensen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D016487:Parenting; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012923:Social Class