title: Developmental epidemiology of depressive disorders.
abstract: Definitions, understanding, and treatment of childhood depressive disorders are changing. The last 40 years have seen a move from questioning whether depression even existed in younger children to evidence-based descriptive models. The field is now moving toward developmentally informed multifactorial models that more accurately reflect the complexity, heterogeneity, and dimensionality of depressive disorders. Knowledge about genetic, temperamental, and developmental risks has increased. Inability to self-regulate seems to be common in depressive and related disorders. Positive modulation can be promoted through experiences, psychotherapies, and, possibly, medications. The authors provide an overview of childhood depressive disorders with emphasis on the developmental/etiologic underpinnings.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, USA. Stuart.goldman@childrens.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005196:Family Therapy; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012944:Social Support; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors