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Abstract
Human beings of all ages experience a continuum of emotional and affective states ranging from happy and joyful states to sad and pessimistic feelings. When extremes of affective states become persistent, pervasive, and maladaptive, they may lead to functional impairments in academic and social settings. "Depression" is the broad term for the diagnostic entity concerned with persistent sad or irritable mood states in children and adolescents. The core features of depressive disorders are largely similar across the lifespan with some differences that are accounted for by developmental factors. Depressive disorders are the main cause of global burden of disease in young people aged 10-24 years and are considered a key risk factor for suicide in youth. This article discusses two major disorders: 1) major depressive disorder and 2) persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). The discussion provides an overview of the prevalence and clinical features of each disorder. Next, it highlights important clinical diagnostic considerations and concludes by presenting evidence-based treatment recommendations.
Keywords: Depression, dysthymic disorders, persistent depressive disorder
Introduction
Human beings of all ages experience a continuum of emotional and affective states ranging from happy and joyful states to sad and pessimistic feelings. When extremes of affective states become persistent, pervasive, and maladaptive they may lead to functional impairments in academic and social settings. "Depression" is the broad term for the diagnostic entity concerned with persistent sad or irritable mood states in children and adolescents. The core features of depressive disorders are largely similar across the lifespan with some differences which are accounted for by developmental factors. Depressive disorders are the main cause of global burden of disease in young people aged 10-24 and are considered a key risk factor for suicide in youth (1, 2).
This article discusses two major disorders: 1) major depressive disorder and 2) persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). The discussion provides an overview of the prevalence and clinical features of each disorder. It also highlights important diagnostic considerations and concludes by presenting evidencebased treatment recommendations.
Epidemiology
Epidemiological literature reports varying incidence and prevalence rates of depressive disorders in children and adolescents. This variability might be attributed to the methodological differences among studies such as the population being studied (e.g., country, community vs. clinical sample), the assessment methods, the source of...