[Symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents between 10 to 17 year-old attending schools in Chía, Colombia].
OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety amongst 10 to 17 year-old adolescents still attending school using the CDI and SCARED questionnaires for early screening in Chía, a town near Bogota, from 2008 to 2010.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of prevalence.


RESULTS
37% of the 538 adolescents interviewed had anxiety symptoms, 12.3% had depression symptoms and 9% presented anxiety and depression symptoms, males having greater prevalence for depression symptoms (6.9% cf 5.4% for females) but lacking statistical significance. There was a greater tendency for anxiety symptoms to be found in adolescents attending public schools. Concerning co morbidity, more anxiety symptoms were found in adolescents having depression symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
It was concluded that anxiety and depression symptoms are real at this age, this being reason enough why it is necessary to suspect and detect them on time so that adolescents can receive suitable attention. Protective factors must be strengthened for this to happen and there must be real awareness by everybody to create educational and health programmes directed towards ensuring good mental health.
Universidad de la Sabana, Bogotá, Colombia. fanospina@hotmail.com
Fanny del Carmen
Fdel C
Ospina-Ospina
María F
MF
Hinestrosa-Upegui
María C
MC
Paredes
Yahira
Y
Guzmán
Carlos
C
Granados
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012574:Schools / Q000145:classification; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014505:Urban Population