Characteristics of depressed preschoolers with and without anhedonia:
evidence for a melancholic depressive subtype in young children
by
Luby JL, Mrakotsky C, Heffelfinger A, Brown K, Spitznagel E.
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine,
660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
luby@psychiatry.wustl.edu
Am J Psychiatry. 2004 Nov;161(11):1998-2004.
ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether a melancholic subtype similar to that established in depressed adults can be identified in depressed preschool children. METHOD: A final group total of 156 preschool children between the ages of 3.0 and 5.6 years and their caregivers underwent a comprehensive psychiatric assessment that included a structured psychiatric interview modified for young children. The clinical characteristics of four study groups (N=156) were compared: depressed preschoolers with anhedonia, depressed preschoolers without anhedonia ("hedonic"), a psychiatric comparison group with DSM-IV attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or oppositional defiant disorder, and a healthy comparison group. RESULTS: Fifty-four depressed preschoolers were identified, and 57% of this depressed group was anhedonic, a symptom deemed to be highly developmentally and clinically significant when arising in the preschool period. The anhedonic depressed subgroup identified was characterized by greater depression severity, alterations in stress cortisol reactivity, increased family history of major depressive disorder, and increased frequency of psychomotor retardation as well as other melancholic symptoms, such as a lack of brightening in response to joyful events. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical characteristics of this depressed subgroup are consistent with those described in melancholic depressed adults and suggest that a melancholic depressed subtype can be manifest in children as young as age 3.TCAs
SSRIs
RIMAs
Options
Bupropion
Reboxetine
Nefazodone
Mirtazapine
Venlafaxine
21st Century
Antidepressants
Atypical depression
Retarded depression
The monoamine hypothesis
Old and new antidepressants
Melancholic depression in toddlers
Types of depression and mood-disorder
Are 'broad spectrum' antidepressants best?
and further reading
RefsHOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World
The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family
