Depressive spectrum disorders in high-risk adolescents: episode duration and predictors of time to recovery.

OBJECTIVE

Durations of first episodes of major depression, dysthymia, adjustment disorders with depressed mood or with mixed emotional features, and minor depressions were examined in a community high-risk adolescent sample. Factors associated with longer recovery times were examined for each disorder.

METHOD: Semistructured diagnostic interviews were conducted annually (6th through 12th grade) to assess children's current and lifetime history of psychopathology. Cox regressions were used to explore factors associated with longer time to recovery.

RESULTS

Episode durations were consistent with prior community studies and generally shorter than those reported in clinical samples. A greater number of maternal depressive episodes predicted a more prolonged time to recovery from major depression, and greater adolescent impairment was associated with longer episode duration of both major and minor depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment and prevention efforts should be directed toward offspring of parents with recurrent mood disorders, particularly adolescents with minor as well as major depression. The authors also recommend that the median rather than the mean be used to evaluate the duration of depressive disorders.