Childhood Major Depressive Disorder

Childhood and adolescent Major Depressive Disorder is a prevalent, familial, and recurrent condition and often continues into adulthood in an episodic manner (Benton and Lynch, 2005). In the case history considered here, it is noted that the patient's mother has had a long history of mental problems with multiple hospitalizations and long-term outpatient treatment. The patient's father reports her to be chronically psychotic. Individuals with parents or siblings with Major Depressive Disorder have a 1.5-3 times higher risk of developing the disorder (Long, 1996). Childhood depression occurs earlier in successive cohorts, and there is an increased risk of suicide: Cindy, the patient, has already contemplated suicide. Children with Major Depressive Disorder have poor functioning psychologically, familialy and academically (Benton and Lynch, 2005). Cindy's functioning in all three areas has deteriorated since depression began following an argument with her mother two years previously.

Stress seems to play a prominent role in triggering the first one or two episodes of Major Depressive Disorder, though not subsequent episodes (Long, 1996). In Cindy's case, the stress was a fight with her mother two years previously in which her mother threw hot water at her. The mother has lived on the third floor of the house and had little communication with Cindy, her father or her two siblings since the incident. Cindy's problems seem to have begun after this time and worsened in

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Category: Psychology - C