Depressive disorder in Children

Background: Depressive disorder is common in children yet remains under diagnosed due to thefact that the children differ from the adults in the presentation and symptomatology.Methods: Thirty two children diagnosed MDD as per DSM IV criteria were compared withtwenty adult patients diagnosed as MDD by similar criteria. Comparison was made onsymptomatology, socio-demographic variables and family history of Affective disorders.Results: A non-significant difference between the two groups was seen.Conclusions: Awareness and possibly sensitive criteria are needed to detect the cases of mild tomoderate depression in children.