Editorial: What are the "Doses," Timing, and Treatment of Childhood Depression That Impact Adulthood?

Depression creates more burden globally than nearly any other physical or mental disorder, yet surprisingly, little is known about what can be done to prevent its onset and, as Duarte et al.,1 in this issue of JAACAP, address, what the long-term outcomes of youth depression are. The existing medical literature on outcomes of child and adolescent depression is large enough for 2 recent reviews,2,3 which point out the key gaps in our understanding. Does childhood depression actually worsen adult outcomes, or is the driver really all the associated childhood adversity and comorbidity? Although we know women suffer disproportionately from depression, are childhood predictors specific to girls or boys? Is it worse to have many episodes of depression in one's youth than a few? Do subthreshold depressive symptoms impact adulthood too? Finally, is it important, in adulthood, whether depression began in childhood or adolescence?