Cognitive factors and classification issues in adolescent depression

A review and critique of the cognitive research among adolescent depressives are presented. It is concluded that the cognitive data and other research indicate a cooccurrence of depression, anxiety and conduct disorders among adolescents. Implications for clinical classification and gender differences among these diagnoses are discussed. Suggestions are offered for how these diagnoses among adolescents relate to diagnoses during young adulthood. It is argued that the cooccurrence of disorders must be taken into account in the study of adolescent depression both as a continuous personality construct and as a diagnosed conduct disorder.This paper was prepared for the SRCD Conference on Development and Adolescent Depression, ETS and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, June 3–6, 1987.Received Ph.D. from University of Illinois at urbana-Champaign. Research interests are in life-span factors and treatments of mood disorders.