Prevention in high risk children of depressed parents.

Opportunities for prevention of psychopathology in children and families are often overlooked in the treatment of the depressed adult patient. Research and clinical findings are reviewed which highlight the impact on children and the family of depressed parents. They range from illness serious enough to require hospitalization to cases in which depression has not yet been diagnosed. These findings are used as guidelines for the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions for all family members.