Depressed teens ‘face adult risk’
Teenagers who have minor depression are at a higher risk of mental health problems later in life, a study says.
Psychiatrists at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute spoke to 750 people.
Anxiety, severe depression and eating disorders were all far more common in 20 and 30-year-olds who had had minor depression as adolescents, they found.
The British Journal of Psychiatry report said further research was needed to unpick the reasons for the link.
UK charities said specialist services for young people were vital.
The study was based on interviews with 750 14 to 16-year-olds who were then assessed again as adults.
It found that 8% of participants had minor depression as teenagers.
By the time they got to their 20s and 30s, the risk of them having major depression was four times higher than those who did not have signs of minor depression at the first interview.
There was a two-and-a-half times increased risk of agoraphobia, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder and a threefold risk of anorexia or bulimia.
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