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Irritability, fear, and anxiety — as well as familial and social risk factors — may help predict depression in youth with a family history of depression, suggests a prospective JAMA Psychiatry study.
Researchers identified nearly 300 children aged 9 to 17 who had a parent with at least two episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) but who themselves were free of depression at baseline. Roughly 7% developed MDD during a mean 2 years' follow-up. Irritability and fear/anxiety at baseline were associated with development of MDD. Other independent risk factors included economic disadvantage, psychosocial adversity, additional family history of depression, and parental depression severity.
The authors conclude: “Irritability and fear/anxiety may …