title: Major depressive disorder in adolescents exposed to a friend's suicide.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether the risk of DSM-III major depressive disorder (MDD) is uniform across the 6 months after adolescent exposure to a friend's suicide, and to examine potential moderating or mediating processes that may influence the risk of new-onset MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-month incidence rates of MDD were compared between 129 adolescents who were exposed to a friend's suicide between December 1988 and March 1991 and 145 similar-aged, unexposed community controls participating in the Youth Exposed to Suicide study. Clinical, family, and social factors that antedated the exposure were examined as predictors of new-onset MDD within 1 month of the suicide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exposed adolescents had a markedly increased risk of developing new-onset MDD that was restricted to a narrow period of time, within 1 month after exposure. In contrast, there were no differences in the incidence of MDD between the groups in months 2 to 6. Past history of alcohol abuse increased the risk of exposure to suicide, which subsequently increased the risk of new-onset MDD within 1 month of exposure. Exposed youths who had both a family history of MDD and feelings of accountability for the death were at considerably increased risk of new-onset MDD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For adolescents exposed to a friend's suicide, events surrounding the death interact with family history of MDD to greatly increase the risk for new-onset MDD.
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. bridgeja@msx.upmc.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bridge
authors.forename: Nancy  L
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Gale A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Birmaher
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brent
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*