Diagnosis of depression in children: a reassessment.

The recent interest in childhood depression has exacerbated the confusion about nosology of this disorder. The authors have attempted to synthesize the latest thinking of several groups working in this area. They present a point-by-point comparison between the diagnostic criteria of Cytryn and McKnew, Weinberg, Kovac's CDI, and DSM-III. There is a striking overlap between these criteria with minor exceptions. This comparison led the authors to conclude that childhood and adult diagnostic criteria for affective disorders are very similar, and DSM-III is a valid instrument for diagnosing childhood affective disorder.