Health Outcomes Related to Early Adolescent Depression

Abstract

PURPOSE-The aim of the present study was to examine whether early adolescent major depressive disorder was associated with negative health outcomes in young adulthood after controlling for depression at the time of follow-up. In addition, indicators of medical and social costs associated with these health consequences were measured. METHODS-705adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of children varying in risk for depression due to maternal depression were assessed for a history of depression at age 15, depressive disorders at age 20, and a variety of health outcomes at age 20. RESULTS-Resultsshowed that even after controlling for the effects of concurrent depression at age 20, early adolescent depression continued to be associated with poorer interviewer-rated health, poorer self-perceived general health, higher health care utilization and increased work impairment due to physical health, although not with limitations to physical functioning or the presence of chronic medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS-Depression during early adolescence has consequences for health and associated costs during young adulthood. The implications of these findings for screening and treatment of adolescent depression are discussed. Keywords depression; adolescence; health outcomes; young adulthood; functional impairment; health care costs Owing to its high prevalence and chronic nature, depression has been ranked by the World Health Organization as the single most burdensome disease in the world [1]. Although part of the burden on society is attributable to direct treatment costs, a significant portion of the cost of depression is indirect, related to the increased costs of treatment and lost productivity resulting from comorbid health conditions associated with depression [2]. Recently, the association between depression and health outcomes has received significant empirical attention, with many studies suggesting that screening and treatment for depression is a costeffective method of limiting expenses for comorbid health conditions [2,3]. Carefully designed studies have established the presence of a bidirectional relationship between depression and chronic illness across a variety of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and asthma [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Several mechanisms that may account for this relationship haveCorrespondence concerning this article should be addressed to Danielle Keenan-Miller, UCLA Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. However, most of the research on th...

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