Study Highlights Need to Screen Young Children With Depression for Suicidal Behaviors

Children diagnosed with major depressive disorder between the ages of 3 and 6 —known as preschool-onset MDD—are more likely than their peers to express suicidal thoughts and behaviors before the age of 13, areport in the Journal of theAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests.“While general [suicidal thoughts and behaviors] screening is not indicated for children under age 8, suicide assessment should be conducted if warning signs such as mood disturbances are present,” wrote Laura Hennefield, Ph.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine and colleagues. “ Children with [preschool-onset] MDD would likely benefit from increased suicide screening, proactive safety planning, and early interventions.”The study included 137 children aged 8 to 12 years who met the criteria for preschool-onset MDD and 53 children aged 8 to 12 with no history of depression.The children with preschool-onset MDD and their caregivers had initiallyparticipated in a study testing the effectiveness of a parent-child psychotherapy for early childhood depression. As part of that study, caregivers completed multiple assessments about their children, such as the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Early Childhood (K-SADS-EC). When the children were between 8 and 12 years, the researchers asked the caregivers to complete the K-SADS-Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL), which included questions on lifetime and current symptoms of depression as well as sui...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Journal of the Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry MDD preschool-onset depression screening suicidal behavior suicidal thoughts suicide young children Source Type: research