CURRENT RESEARCH IN CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION: Introduction

Abstract

Several years ago I advocated continuing interest and exploration in the field of affective disorders in children despite the confusion and wide diversity of views in this area (Cytryn, 1977). I am certainly gratified by the gradual acceptance by the mental health professionals of childhood affective illness as a valid clinical entity. This is in contrast to the skepticism or even nihilism which was often prevalent in the not too distant past. However, there are still many unanswered questions which only further research may clarify. This special section presents a sampling of recent research efforts in this area. There seems to be an emerging consensus about the existence of major affective disorders in children which can be classified according to adult criteria (Cytryn et al., 1979; Kovacs and Beck, 1977; Puig-Antich et al., 1978). Carlson and Cantwell, in their paper, join this general trend. It is still uncertain, however, how frequently such major affective disorders occur in childhood. Most likely there are more children who present with symptoms of depression of lesser severity; the possibility that this group is related to major affective illness cannot be discounted. Specifically, depressive symptoms may represent forerunners of such illness in ad-