Assessment Framework Depressive Disorders

Kristina Baglo, Kelly DeCoste, Danni Kerr

Possible Presenting Symptoms:
Infants
Middle Childhood
- Sleep disturbances
Addition of:
- Increased clinginess
- Weight loss
- Aggression
- Impaired attention
- Increased crying
- Concentration issues
- Reduced appetite
- Sleeplessness
- Decreased contact with
-Temper tantrums
parents/caregivers
- Somatic complaints

Risk Factors:
Interaction between genetics, the
environment, and psychosocial
factors including:
- Social difficulties
- Life stress
- Poor parental supervision/family
support
- Poor functioning in multiple
areas of life
- Negative attachment
- History of depression

Adolescence
Addition of:
- Loss of feelings of pleasure/interest
- Loss of energy/excessive fatigue
- Irritability/aggressive behaviors
- Running away
- Stealing
- Suicidal preoccupations

Resilience Factors:
Biological:
- High self-esteem
- High feelings of self-worth
Environmental:
- Positive social relationships
- High feelings of family connectedness
- Feelings of connectedness to school environment and staff

Rating Scales:
Rating Scale

Age Range

Completion Time

Psychometric

Gender Considerations:
Cultural Considerations:
Properties
Childrens
Depression
6-12
years,
but
it
is
15-20
minutes
Moderate
internal
- Boys tend to exhibit externalizing behaviors
- Presentation may vary by culture
Rating Scale-Revised also used with
consistency,
good
- Must distinguish between culturally
distinctive
interrater reliability
- Girls tend to exhibit(CDRS-R)
internalizing behaviorsadolescents experiences and delusions/hallucinations
- Discriminant
validity
- Symptoms must not be dismissed
solely
not
sufficient
because they are normal to a particular
- May be less
culture
sensitive than the CDI
Diagnostic Interviews:
Mood andInterview
Feelings
Structured

8-18Focus
years

5-10 minutes
- Acceptable
Age Range
Time Required
Psychometric

Questionnaire
(short form <5
Differential Diagnosis
(to name (MFQ)
a few):
Properties
minutes)
Schedule for Affective
Assesses
6-18
years
35
minutes 2.5
- Fair to excellent
- ADHD?
- Adjustment
Disorder?
Reynolds
7-13 years
10-15 minutes
- Acceptable
Disorders
and Child
current
and past
hours
interrater reliability
- Normal moodiness?
- CD?
Depression
Scale

(short
form
2-3
Schizophrenia
in
episodes
of
- Convergent
- Bipolar Disorder? nd
- Anxiety?
2 Edition
minutes)
School-Age
Children
(Kpsychopathology
validity supported
- Mood Disorder due to a General Medical Condition?
- PTSD?
Reynolds Adolescent 11-20 years
5-10 minutes
- Acceptable
SADS)
- Substance-InducedDepression
Mood Disorder?
- Eating Disorder?
Scalefor

Diagnostic
Interview
Broad range of
3 -separate:
hours
- Interrater
- Major Depressive
Episode?
Medication1-2
effects?
nd
2 Edition

Children and
behavioral
6-12, 13-17
Beck Depression
7-14 years
Adolescents,
Fourth
problems
(to
years, 5-10
and minutes
Inventory
for Youth
Associated
DiagnosticDisorders:
Approach:
Edition
(DICA-IV)
focus further
parents
(BDI-Y)
attention)
- Anxiety
- Semi-structured/structured
Disorders: 30-80% interviews
Beck
Depression
13-80 years
5 minutes
Child
and
Adolescent
Assesses
9-17 years
1-2 hours
- -Disruptive
Rating scales
Disorders:
10-80%
nd
Inventory-2
Edition
Psychiatric
Assessment
psychiatric
- ADHD
- Cognitive,
5-50%
academic, neuropsychological measures as applicable
(CAPA)
diagnoses
- to
Substance
each client
abuse:
20-30%
occurring in the
past 3 months
Childrens Depression 7-17 years
15 minutes
Inventory
(short form <10
minutes)

reliability poor to
- Good
reliability
good
- Minimally
adequate
- Some
evidence of
construct
validity validity
convergent
- High- internal
Limited data on
consistency
association with
- Correlates
with other
other depression
depression
rating
measures
scales- Interrater and
- Mixed
evidencereliability
(use
test-retest
with caution)
high