Depression in Children and Adolescents: The Pediatrician at the Front Lines

Pediatricians are the primary care providers for most children and adolescents in the United States,so they need to feel comfortable caring for children and teens with depression. This topic is an extremely important one because the top three reasons teens die or get injured are related to accidents (3.7 per 100,000 for those ages 5-14 years and 28.5 per 100,000 for those ages 15-24 years), suicide (1 per 100,000 in the younger age group, and 12.5 deaths per 100,000 in those ages 5-14 years), and homicide (0.7 per 100,000 in those age 5-14 years,and 10.8 per 100,000 in those age 15-24 years) Each year, 21% of children ages 9 to 17 years are diagnosed with a mental or addictive disorder associated with at least minimum impairment, with 11% of these children having significant functional impairment and another 5% demonstrating extreme functional impairment. We know that one-half of all lifetime cases of mental health disorders start by age 14 years. This includes serious adult psychiatric illnesses such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse. Three-quarters are present by age 24 years; therefore, interventions aimed at prevention or early treatment need to focus on youth. [Pediatr Ann.2018;47(7):e261-e265.]