Unmasking masked depression in children and adolescents

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article No AccessUnmasking masked depression in children and adolescentsPublished Online:1 Apr 2006https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.137.4.445AboutSectionsView articleAbstractPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleAbstractThe authors examined depressive symptoms and behavior disorders in 102 systematically interviewed children aged 7 to 17 years to elucidate the category of masked depression. They found that it was possible to diagnose these children using adult research criteria and that more children with depression were identified using a systematic interview than were identified using standard evaluation procedures. Although children with a depressive disorder may also exhibit behavior disorders that overshadow the depression, an alert clinician conducting a thorough interview should be able to identify the "masked" depression. Access content To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access. Personal login Institutional Login Sign in via OpenAthens Register for access Purchase Save for later Item saved, go to cart PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry $35.00 Add to cart PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry Checkout Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability. Not a subscriber? Subscribe Now / Learn More PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development. Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.). FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byDo Adolescents Engage in Delinquency to Cope with Depressive Symptoms? Revisiting the Longitudinal Link Between Delinquency and Depressive Symptoms While Considering Moderation by Ethnicity, Adolescent Phase, and Gender12 May 2023 | Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology, Vol. 9, No. 2The reciprocal relationship between depression, social anxiety and aggression in Chinese adolescents: The moderating effects of family functioningJournal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 329Testing for Within × Within and Between × Within Moderation Using Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models5 August 2022 | Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, Vol. 30, No. 2Longitudinal Association and Mediating Mechanism Between Externalizing and Internalizing Problems Among Children: A Within-Person Analysis10 January 2023 | Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, Vol. 7Depression Assessment11 June 2023Depressive disordersLongitudinal relations among family dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and cyberbullying involvement in Chinese early adolescents: Disentangling between- and within-person associations9 December 2022 | Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 137Within-person Relations between Domains of Socio-emotional Development during Childhood and Adolescence7 June 2022 | Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Vol. 50, No. 10Depression in 3/6‐year‐old children: clinical and psychosocial outcomes in later childhood and adolescence2 December 2021 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 9Risk factors for depression in Pacific adolescents in New Zealand: A network analysisJournal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 311The developmental cascades of prosocial behavior tendency, internalizing and externalizing problems for early adolescence in China: A within-person analysis13 July 2022 | Acta Psychologica Sinica, Vol. 54, No. 7Ketamine use in relation to depressive symptoms among high school seniors25 January 2022 | The American Journal on Addictions, Vol. 31, No. 2Indirect aggression, anxiety, and empathy: Disaggregating between and within person longitudinal associations during childhood and adolescence23 December 2021 | Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 22Structural Equation Modeling (SEM): Childhood Aggression and Irritable ADHD Associated with Parental Psychiatric Symptoms25 September 2021 | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 18, No. 19Evaluation der Psychoanalytischen Kurzzeittherapie (PaKT) für junge Kinder mit depressiven Störungen: Ergebnisse der PilotstudiePraxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie, Vol. 70, No. 5Developmental Cascades from Aggression to Internalizing Problems via Peer and Teacher Relationships from Early to Middle Adolescence2 February 2021 | Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 29Screening for suicidality and its relation to undiagnosed psychiatric comorbidities in children and youth with epilepsyEpilepsy & Behavior, Vol. 113Examining Longitudinal Associations between Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Problems at Within- and Between-Child Levels10 January 2020 | Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Vol. 48, No. 4The Role of Academic Skills in the Evolution of Conduct Problems and Depressive Symptoms Among Children With and Without Early Clinically Significant Conduct Problems28 February 2018 | The Journal of Early Adolescence, Vol. 39, No. 3Problemen met jezelf en de wereld: psychopathologie17 July 2019DepressionJournal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, Vol. 48, No. 1Risk Factors for Depression: An Autobiographical ReviewAnnual Review of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 1European Journal of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 15, No. 6Depressive Disorders21 April 2017F1000Research, Vol. 6Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 8Sarcosine treatment for oppositional defiant disorder symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder children19 July 2016 | Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 30, No. 10European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 25, No. 7Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii im. S.S. Korsakova, Vol. 116, No. 4. Vyp. 2Increasing Early Awareness of Hazard of Children with ADHD’s ODD and Aggression by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)24 November 2014 | International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research, Vol. 3, No. 4European Review of Applied Psychology, Vol. 63, No. 4Peer Victimization, Poor Academic Achievement, and the Link Between Childhood Externalizing and Internalizing Problems20 June 2012 | Child Development, Vol. 83, No. 5Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 142, No. 1-3Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 50, No. 2Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 68, No. 5Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 49, No. 5Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 22, No. 3Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, Vol. 11, No. 13Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, Vol. 22, No. 3Analyzing reciprocal relationships by means of the continuous‐time autoregressive latent trajectory model16 January 2008 | Statistica Neerlandica, Vol. 62, No. 1Korean Journal of Human Ecology, Vol. 17, No. 5Comments on NICE Guidelines for ‘Depression in Children and Young People’2 March 2007 | Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Vol. 12, No. 2Co‐occurrence of depression and delinquency in personality types2 December 2020 | European Journal of Personality, Vol. 21, No. 2Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Vol. 20, No. 6A comparison of pure and comorbid CD/ODD and depression31 October 2005 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 47, No. 7Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 15, No. 4Diagnosis and Management of Depression and Psychosis in Children and Adolescents With Epilepsy17 November 2016 | Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 19, No. 1SPsychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 27, No. 2Perspectives Psy, Vol. 43, No. 5Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 77, No. 1Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 42, No. 3Psychiatry, psychotherapy and gastroenterology — bringing it all together16 January 2003 | Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Vol. 17, No. 2Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 72, No. 3Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 41, No. 8Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 30, No. 4Applied and Preventive Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 2Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Pediatric Epilepsy Patients3 August 2005 | Epilepsia, Vol. 39, No. 6Self-Reported Depression and Risk-Taking Behaviors among Hispanic Adolescents1 September 2016 | Psychological Reports, Vol. 81, No. 1Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 42, No. 2Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 42, No. 2-3Depression in the Young22 December 2006 | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 789, No. 1Teachers' assessments of prepubertal childhood depression28 September 2007 | Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 47, No. 2Role of genetic factors in depression based on studies of Tourette syndrome and ADHD probands and their relatives3 June 2005 | American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol. 60, No. 2Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 4, No. 2Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Vol. 2, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 34, No. 6Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 34, No. 6Depression and Hopelessness in Children with Disruptive Behaviour Disorders1 June 1994 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 39, No. 5Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 6, No. 3Depressive Experiences of Nonreferred Adolescents and Young Adults25 July 2016 | Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 8, No. 3Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 32, No. 2The childrens depression scale: Review of Australian and overseas experience2 February 2011 | Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 44, No. 1Behaviour Research and Therapy, Vol. 30, No. 5Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 1, No. 1Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 4, No. 4Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 4, No. 1Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 4, No. 1Health Care for Women International, Vol. 13, No. 1Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 31, No. 3Childhood Depression and SuicideNursing Clinics of North America, Vol. 26, No. 3Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 21, No. 3Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Vol. 12, No. 1The Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 18, No. 4Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 30, No. 5Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 3, No. 3British Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 159, No. S11The Many Faces of Correlates of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents26 July 2016 | The Journal of Early Adolescence, Vol. 10, No. 4Short‐term course of depression following attempted suicide: a preliminary report23 August 2007 | Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Vol. 81, No. 4Comprehensive Psychiatry, Vol. 31, No. 3Current Problems in Pediatrics, Vol. 20, No. 12Behavioural Psychotherapy, Vol. 18, No. 2La dépression chez l'adolescent. À propos d'une enquête réalisée auprès d'une population d'adolescents scolarisés28 April 2020 | Psychiatry and Psychobiology, Vol. 5, No. 6Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 2, No. 3Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 29, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 29, No. 4Childhood Depression7 December 2006 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 31, No. 1Wheels within wheels and systems within systems The assessment process18 December 2007 | Children & Society, Vol. 3, No. 3Relationship between Psychiatric Illness and Conduct Disorder in Adolescents26 April 2017 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 34, No. 6Article26 April 2017 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 34, No. 6Depression: Masks, Misconceptions, and Nosologic AmbiguitiesPsychiatric Annals, Vol. 19, No. 7An Examination of the Relationship Between Childhood Depression and Social Competence Amongst Primary School Children7 December 2006 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 30, No. 4Conduct Disorder in Childhood and Adolescence: An Update13 August 2007 | Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Vol. 2, No. 2Depressed mothers and their children10 March 2008 | Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Vol. 25, No. 3Parents' and Teachers' Sensitivity to Unhappiness Reported by Undercontrolled Children15 February 2017 | Behavioral Disorders, Vol. 14, No. 3Dépression Majeure Chez L'Enfant: Validation du Syndrome et Traitement Pharmacologique1 February 1989 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 34, No. 1Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 12, No. 4Commentary19 August 2016 | Remedial and Special Education, Vol. 9, No. 4SALIVARY CORTISOL HYPERSECRETION IN JUVENILE DEPRESSION7 December 2006 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 29, No. 3Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 1Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 15, No. 3Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 15, No. 3Medical Clinics of North America, Vol. 72, No. 4Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 27, No. 1Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 27, No. 1Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 27, No. 6Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 27, No. 6The children's depression inventory: Norms and factor analysis from an australian school population2 February 2011 | Australian Psychologist, Vol. 22, No. 3Bipolar Affective Disorder in Adolescence: A 10-Year Study26 June 2016 | Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 1The Dexamethasone Suppression Test and the Children's Depression Inventory in Psychiatric Disorders in Children1 February 1987 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 32, No. 1Journal of School Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 2Behavioural Psychotherapy, Vol. 15, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 26, No. 6American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 57, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 15, No. 4CLINICAL EVALUATION OF A SELF‐RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER IN CHILDHOOD (DEPRESSION SELF‐RATING SCALE)7 December 2006 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 28, No. 1Depressive Symptoms and Attributional Style in Children2 July 2016 | Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 4The Pediatrician's Role in Adolescent SuicidePediatric Annals, Vol. 15, No. 11Do Learning Handicaps and Headache Cluster?2 July 2016 | Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 1, No. 4Depression in childhood10 March 2008 | Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Vol. 22, No. 1Journal of Psychiatric Research, Vol. 20, No. 4Psychiatry Research, Vol. 17, No. 3Parent-child relations and the etiology of depressionClinical Psychology Review, Vol. 6, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 25, No. 5L'humeur et le ralentissement chez l'adolescent déprimé: Étude comparative avec une population de déprimés adultes28 April 2020 | Psychiatry and Psychobiology, Vol. 1, No. 3Diagnostic Assessment of Affective and Behaviour Disorders in Children22 June 2016 | School Psychology International, Vol. 7, No. 1Diagnosing Affective Disorder in Adolescents: The Use of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia1 December 1985 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 30, No. 8Anorexia Nervosa: A Variant Form of Affective Disorder?Psychiatric Annals, Vol. 15, No. 12THE CHILDREN'S DEPRESSION SCALE. A STUDY OF ITS VALIDITY7 December 2006 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 26, No. 6The Natural History and Course of Depressive Disorders in ChildhoodPsychiatric Annals, Vol. 15, No. 6Preliminary data on DSM-III associated features of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents1 April 2006 | American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 142, No. 5Affective Disorders in Children and Adolescents: The Dysthymic Disorder Dilemma1 April 1985 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 30, No. 3Drug and Alcohol AbuseChild & Adolescent Social Work Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4Psychiatry Research, Vol. 14, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 24, No. 4The Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 107, No. 1Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 8, No. 4Culture, Affect and Somatization3 September 2016 | Transcultural Psychiatric Research Review, Vol. 21, No. 3Treating depression in adolescence: The psychiatric and social work connection10 March 2007 | New Directions for Mental Health Services, Vol. 1984, No. 23Depressive symptomatology in a child psychiatric outpatient population: Correlations with diagnosisComprehensive Psychiatry, Vol. 25, No. 4Depression in Children and Adolescents: Phenomenology, Evaluation and Treatment26 December 2019 | School Psychology Review, Vol. 13, No. 2Child Psychiatry & Human Development, Vol. 14, No. 3Psychiatry Research, Vol. 13, No. 1Pediatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 31, No. 2American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 54, No. 1Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, Vol. 13, No. 1Etiology and treatment of childhood depression: A biopsychological perspectiveComprehensive Psychiatry, Vol. 24, No. 5Use of Psychoactive Drugs in Children30 August 2016 | Drug Intelligence & Clinical Pharmacy, Vol. 17, No. 7-8Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 5, No. 1Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 22, No. 1Depression in Children and Adolescents with Malignancy *1 October 1982 | The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 27, No. 6SELF‐REPORT AND INTERVIEW MEASURES OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION7 December 2006 | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 23, No. 4Depression and somatization: a reviewThe American Journal of Medicine, Vol. 72, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 3Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 3Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 2Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 4Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 4Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 21, No. 6Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 3, No. 4Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Vol. 20, No. 2Psychosomatics, Vol. 22, No. 5Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 3, No. 3 Volume 137Issue 4 April 1980Pages 445-449 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 April 2006 Published in print 1 April 1980