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Prevalence of Childhood and Adolescent Depression in the Community

Ontario Child Health Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jan E. Fleming ,
David R. Offord  and
Michael H. Boyle
Jan E. Fleming*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals, Chedoke Division, Administration Building, Box 2000, Station A, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5
David R. Offord
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals, Chedoke Division, Administration Building, Box 2000, Station A, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5
Michael H. Boyle
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals, Chedoke Division, Administration Building, Box 2000, Station A, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Data from a cross-sectional community survey of 2852 children were used to provide estimates of the prevalence of a ‘DSM–III-like’ major depressive syndrome in children aged 6 to 16. The severity of symptoms required to define a ‘case’ was varied to generate three levels of diagnostic certainty (DC). The overall estimates of prevalence made with high DC were 0.6% for pre-adolescents and 1.8% for adolescents. Corresponding rates determined with medium DC were 2.7% and 7.8%, whereas the figures for low DC were 17.5% and 43.9%. Utilisation of mental health and social services, comorbidity (combined disorders), poor school performance, problems in getting along with others and need for professional help all increased as diagnostic certainty increased. There was wide disagreement in data supplied by the different groups of respondents, i.e. parents, teachers and adolescents.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 155 , Issue 5 , November 1989 , pp. 647 - 654
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

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