Severe MDD was more common among older adolescents and girls. image credit: zea_lenanet | DPC

From Psychiatric News Alert: About 60% of teenagers with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) receive treatment, but only 35% were treated by a mental health professional, according to a nationally representative survey of 10,123 adolescents.

Lifetime prevalence of MDD was 11% among that sample, and 12-month prevalence was 7.5%, said Shelli Avenevoli, Ph.D., of the Division of Translational Research at the National Institute of Mental Health and colleagues in the January Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Age and gender influenced prevalence, they said.

“The majority of depressed adolescents did not receive treatment specifically for their depression or from the mental health sector for any emotional or behavioral problem. These findings underscore the ubiquitous nature of this disorder in youth, suggest that a significant portion of depressive disorders have their first onset in adolescence, and support the notion of routine and universal screening during adolescence.”

To read more about treatment of adolescent depression, see:

• “Teens With Depression Benefit From Collaborative Care Model”
• “Increase in Untreated Cases of Psychiatric Disorders During the Transition to Adulthood“

Related articles

• Major depression in the national comorbidity survey – adolescent supplement: prevalence, correlates, and treatment (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Major Depression in the National Comorbidity Survey – Adolescent Supplement: Prevalence, Correlates, and Treatment (alphagalileo.org)
• ADHD and Depression Types of Depression (adhdcoachingedge.wordpress.com)
• Depression often plays a role in suicide by seniors (dailyherald.com)
• ‘Parents must have realistic expectations’ (thehindu.com)
• Early exposure to antidepressants affects adult anxiety and serotonin transmission (eurekalert.org)
• Why Depression Is Underreported in Men (blackchristiannews.com)
• Exposure to antidepressants during gestation influences anxiety behavior later in life (newsroom.ucla.edu)