Adolescent Depression Persists Into Adulthood

Adolescents with depression are likely to experience depression as adults, according to Drs. Valerie Dunn and Ian Goodyer of the University of Cambridge. They followed 113 young adults, 58 of whom were enrolled in mental health clinics, for an average of 7.8 years. Their results showed that, somewhat surprisingly, the prevalence of adolescent affective disorders was similar in the clinical and community setting. Not so surprisingly, probands who suffered from depression as adolescents were far more likely to suffer from depression at follow up. Women were significantly more prone to recurrent episodes of depression, while men were significantly more prone to persistent depression. The study appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry. http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/188/3/216