Depressed children not being diagnosed

UP to 75 per cent of children and adolescents suffering depression and other clinically identifiable mood disorders remain undetected in the community.

And many of those detected receive no treatment, according to a new set of draft guidelines on treating depression.

The draft, prepared by depression initiative beyondblue for consideration by the National Health and Medical Research Council, says young people may not seek help because they believe their symptoms are a normal part of growing up, or they fear the stigma of mental health problems.

And many parents simply don't know depression can begin at such an early age.

The new draft clinical practice guidelines cover all aspects of depression in adolescents and young adults, after previous NHMRC guidelines were withdrawn in 2004 in the wake of emerging research.

Beyondblue also commissioned clinical practice guidelines for perinatal depression, with the aim of having the first national standards in place to recognise and treat post- and ante-natal depression.

"Adolescence and young adulthood are the peak times for the onset of depressive and other mental health disorders," the draft guidelines note.

"Studies in the UK and US estimate that as many as 75 per cent of children and adolescents with a clinically identifiable mood disorder remain undetected in the community.

"Australian research reports that even when they are detected, most young people with depression receive no treatment for their problem."

Adolescent psychologist Brett McDermott, who led the advisory group drafting the guidelines, said the use of prescription drugs remains a controversial issue in the treatment of young people.

The director of the Mater Child and Youth Mental Health Service in Brisbane said while there was evidence that twice as many children and adolescents using prescription drugs experienced suicidal thinking or behaviour as those not on medication, the overall risk remained low.

"Some people might say a doubling is an extremely scary number. The fact is that the doubling is from the rate of a placebo, 2 per cent, to 4 per cent," he said.

(And) in all clinical trials, published and unpublished, not one person has actually completed a suicide on these tablets."

# Stephen Lunn
# From: The Australian