Depression symptoms in help-seeking adolescents: A comparison between adolescents at-risk for psychosis and other help-seekers

Background: Depression and psychosis are severe diseases with onset in adolescence. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between an at-risk status of psychosis and depression symptoms in adolescents. Method: The data were collected by an early intervention team in Finland. The PROD screen was used to assess the risk of psychosis, and Beck Depression Inventory-II was used as a measurement to assess the level of depression symptoms. Of 203 help-seeking respondents, 66 were classified as at-risk for psychosis, and 137 respondents were other help-seekers. The mean age of the subjects was 15.3 years. Results: Subjects at-risk had significantly poorer scores in total scores for depression (p < 0.001), and in an item-by-item analysis, the subjects at-risk had poorer scores for sadness (p < 0.001), past failure (p = 0.001), suicidal thoughts (p < 0.001), crying (p = 0.002), agitation (p = 0.001), loss of energy (p = 0.002) and concentration difficulty (p < 0.001). In a logistic regression analysis of items that differed by risk status for psychosis, item of concentration difficulty (p = 0.038) explained the at-risk status after adjustment for sex. Conclusions: The present results suggest that subjects that are at-risk for psychosis have more depression symptoms than other help-seekers. This should be considered in the psychiatric care of adolescents.