The recognition of depressive disorder in children.

A study of 547 children aged between 3 and 17 years, attending a child psychiatric clinic, showed that 23% were rated as having the symptom of morbid depression present. This group was compared with a control group from the same clinic without depression. The depressed children had a number of symptoms which were significantly associated with depression and formed a characteristic pattern of symptoms that could be defined as a specific depressive disorder.