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Differential Diagnosis of Depression and Mood Disorders

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Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents

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Abstract

Unlike anxiety that has normal developmental markers and characteristics, depression and mood disorders do not have age-related and predictable courses. Virtually everyone has experiences of being sad or having brief periods of depression associated with a significant distressing event (e.g., loss of a loved one, situational stress), but they do not cause significant or chronic impairment and do not follow a typical developmental course. Although adolescents are often characterized as “moody” or irritable or experience “hassles,” their behaviors typically do not meet diagnostic criteria for a depression or a mood disorder and they do not significantly interfere with overall functioning. Like anxiety, however, depression is an internalizing problem that can have negative effects on various spheres of psychological and social functioning. A focus on depression in children and youth is relatively recent, having received increased clinical and research emphasis in the last two to three decades.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology School Psychology Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Thomas J. Huberty

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Huberty, T.J. (2012). Differential Diagnosis of Depression and Mood Disorders. In: Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3110-7_6

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