hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (http://www.cdc.gov/ nchs/nhanes.htm) should begin to address

the gap in knowledge regarding the epidemiology of adolescent mood disorders in the US. Global progress There is an increasing effort, to identify gaps in our knowledge of the state of child mental health at the global level as well. The Atlas Project, run by the WHO,87,117 recently find more collected information on cultural factors associated with the burden and impairment, of mental disorders in children and adolescents in 66 countries. Although there were differences in policies and programs across low and high income countries, they found that there Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical was a general lack of specific policies, data-gathering capacity, and continuum of care for children.87 There have also been collaborative efforts to increase awareness of child mental disorders across the world. For example, through the auspices Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of the World Psychiatric Association,

the WHO, and the International Association of Child and Adolescent. Psychiatry and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Allied Professionals, a Child Mental Health Task Force was formed to educate and develop programs to disseminate awareness of child mental health in nine different, countries around the world.124 While there is still a large amount, of change and progress that needs to be made in the area of child and adolescent mental health, studies and programs such as these arc moving the global community in the right direction. Selected abbreviations and acronyms Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical ADHD attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder CD conduct disorder GAD generalized anxiety disorder MDD major depressive disorder ODD oppositional-defiant disorder
Developmental

psychopathology has identified the defining clinical and contextual features of depression in youngsters. In particular, empirical studies have characterized the longitudinal course of depressive illness and common patterns of co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical The functional consequences of early-onset illness have also been documented. A growing body of research is identifying the neurobiological and many psychological correlates. In addition, studies are beginning to identify specific genetic and experiential risk factors. In general, the core patterns of depressive disorders across the lifespan are emerging. This paper details the phenomenology, correlates, clinical course, and consequences of pediatric depression, highlighting the similarities and differences in the characteristics of depression among children, adolescents, and adults. A few caveats are warranted before proceeding to the following sections. The term “depression” refers to unipolar mood disorders only. Up to now, most of the research on pediatric depression was conducted in major depressive disorder, and therefore, the reported findings are primarily for this condition.