Characteristics of early and late onset pediatric depression

INTRODUCTION: Depression, anxiety and suicide are serious psychiatric conditions that affect Mexican youth (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, IHME, 2022), with depression showing a prevalence greater than 16%. Suicide ranks as the second most important cause of deathin this age group, (6/100,000 deaths), the first being violent deaths by firearms (15/100,000 deaths;IHME, 2022). OBJECTIVES: To identify factors related to age of onset of pediatric depression. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out during 2018-2020 in two Children’s Psychiatric Hospitals in Mexico City. Data were collected using a survey method. All participants signed an informed consent form. We applied Cox hazard analysis, with the hazard event being the onset of psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: Data from 400 patients were analyzed, 148 girls (37%) and 252 boys (63%). Mean patient age was 12 years, and mean age of symptom onset was 8 years. The most common diagnoses were hyperkinetic disorder (51%), depression (34%), and anxiety (7.8%). Age of depression onset was significantly reduced in association with male sex (HR=1.46), family history of psychiatric disorder (familial depression HR=2.34; hyperkinetic disorder HR=2.67; psychoactive substance abuse HR=5.09), and certain medical comorbidities (asthma HR=6.41; enuresis HR=3.03). These same covariates were not associated with age of onset of hyperkinetic disorder or anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses indicate that a subgroup of pediatric depression has an early onset and is associated with familial hyperkinetic disorder and depression, the male sex, and certain medical comorbidities. DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST: None Declared