title: Childhood predictors of use and costs of antidepressant medication by age 24 years: findings from the Finnish Nationwide 1981 Birth Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prior studies on antidepressant use in late adolescence and young adulthood have been cross-sectional, and prospective associations with childhood psychiatric problems have not been examined. The objective was to study the association between childhood problems and lifetime prevalence and costs of antidepressant medication by age 24 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 5,547 subjects from a nation-wide birth cohort were linked to the National Prescription Register. Information about parent- and teacher-reported conduct, hyperkinetic and emotional symptoms, and self-reported depressive symptoms was gathered at age 8 years. The main outcome measure was national register-based lifetime information about purchases of antidepressants between ages 8 and 24 years. In addition, antidepressant costs were analyzed using a Heckman maximum likelihood model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 8.8% of males and 13.8% of females had used antidepressants between age 13 and 24 years. Among males, conduct problems independently predicted later antidepressant use. In both genders, self-reported depressive symptoms and living in other than a family with two biological parent at age 8 years independently predicted later antidepressant use. Significant gender interactions were found for conduct and hyperkinetic problems, indicating that more males who had these problems at age 8 have used antidepressants compared with females with the same problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood psychopathology predicts use of antidepressants, but the type of childhood psychopathology predicting antidepressant use is different among males and females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. david.gyllenberg@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gyllenberg
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sourander
authors.forename: Solja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niemelä
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helenius
authors.forename: Lauri
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sillanmäki
authors.forename: Terja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ristkari
authors.forename: Jorma
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piha
authors.forename: Kirsti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumpulainen
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamminen
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Almqvist
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000367:Age Factors; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents