One-year course and predictors of outcome of adolescent depression: a case-control study in Finland.
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.
Karlsson
Linnea
L
Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. linnea.karlsson@utu.fi
Kiviruusu
Olli
O
Miettunen
Jouko
J
Heilä
Hannele
H
Holi
Matti
M
Ruuttu
Titta
T
Tuisku
Virpi
V
Pelkonen
Mirjami
M
Marttunen
Mauri
M
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