Amongst teens who are treated for depression, the strongest predictor of recurrence is female gender, according to a report that will appear in the March 2011 print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Depression was found to recur in nearly half of depressed teens who received treatment, but even more among females.
According to the report, which detailed a study conducted by Duke University Medical Center, depressive disorder affects about 5.9% of teen females and 4.6% of teen males. A total of 196 adolescents participated in the study; 86 males and 110 females. The teens were assigned randomly to one of four possible short-term treatments and were followed up for five years. Almost all of the participants recovered from their initial depression episode within the five-year period (96.4%) and 88.3% recovered within two years.
However, 44.6% of teens who recovered from their initial depression experienced recurrence. Amongst those whose depression returned, a number of common characteristics were noted, but “female sex was the most robust predictor of recurrence,” said researcher, John Curry, PhD.
Depression was also more likely to return in those with anxiety disorders (61.9% recurrence in those with anxiety disorders as opposed to 42.2% recurrence in those without anxiety disorders). Also, those who showed no response within the length of the short-treatment program (12 weeks) were more likely to have recurrent depression than partial or full responders. Lastly, participants who scored higher on scales of suicidal thoughts and behaviors were also more likely to have recurrent depression.
Researchers were alarmed to find that being female was the the strongest factor correlated with depression recurrence. Curry said this fact, “indicated the importance of understanding and reducing the vulnerabilities of female adolescents to recurrent episodes."
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