title: One-year course and predictors of outcome of adolescent depression: a case-control study in Finland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinical studies on the outcome of adolescent depression beyond treatment trials are scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of characteristics of the depressive episode and current comorbidity on the 1-year outcome of depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 174 consecutive adolescent psychiatric outpatients (aged 13 through 19 years) and 17 school-derived matched controls, all with unipolar depressive disorders at baseline, were reinterviewed for DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II disorders at 12 months. The study was conducted between January 1998 and May 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The outpatients had equal recovery rate and episode duration but shorter time to recurrence than the controls. Among the outpatients, Axis II comorbidity predicted shorter time to recurrence (p = .02). Longer time to recovery was predicted by earlier lifetime age at onset for depression (p = .02), poor psychosocial functioning (p = .003), depressive disorder diagnosis (p <or= .05), and longer episode duration by study entry (p = .001), with an interaction between episode duration and depressive disorder diagnosis (p = .04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Characteristics of depression generally predicted the outcome better than co-morbidity. Axis II comorbidity has prognostic value in adolescent depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. linnea.karlsson@utu.fi
authors.forename: Linnea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kiviruusu
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miettunen
authors.forename: Hannele
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heilä
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holi
authors.forename: Titta
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruuttu
authors.forename: Virpi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tuisku
authors.forename: Mirjami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pelkonen
authors.forename: Mauri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marttunen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011584:Psychology; D013997:Time Factors