Depression among preschoolers appears to be a continuous,
chronic condition rather than a transient developmental stage,
according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General
Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "The validity of
major depressive disorder in childhood has been well
established, with the disorder now widely recognized and treated
in mental health settings," the authors write as background
information in the article. However, previous studies have
primarily focused on children age 6 and older. Although a
growing body of data suggests that depression does exist among
preschoolers, skepticism remains about whether it is clinically
meaningful or increases the later risk of psychiatric
conditions. Joan L. Luby, M.D., and colleagues at Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied 306
preschoolers age 3 to 6. Of these, 75 met criteria for major
depressive disorder, 79 had anxiety or disruptive disorders but
not depression and 146 did not meet criteria for any psyc