Early intervention is critical for a child with clinical depression. The surgeon general estimates that 5 percent of children ages 9 to 17 have major depressive disorder. Depression is a serious condition that can increase the risk of suicidal behaviors. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is needed to help children learn ways to alleviate symptoms. There are several assessment instruments available for determining whether a child has depression.
Interviews
Clinicians use structured interviews as a method of acquiring important background information. These interviews usually take place with parents. A series of questions are asked to determine when symptoms started, how often they occur and the severity of the symptoms. Background medical information is also obtained to rule out medical conditions that might contribute to symptoms. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, depression is more difficult to diagnose in children because of their limited communication skills. Several structured assessment inventories are used in conjunction with the parent and child self-report.
Child Depression Inventory
The Child Depression Inventory is a 27-item questionnaire for children between 7 and 17 years of age and takes 15 minutes to administer. The questionnaire is administered to the child individually or in a group setting and requires a first grade reading level. Each item contains three choices that then provide a total score. This score measures negative mood, interpersonal problems, ineffectiveness, anhedonia (loss of pleasure) and negative self-esteem.
Beck Depression Inventory
The Beck Depression Inventory is used for assessing depression in adolescents and adults. It is presented as 21 questions in a multiple choice format. Each of the questions corresponds to a specific depressive symptom or attitude. The values placed on each answer range form zero to three and indicate the severity of the depressive condition.
Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale for Children
The CES-DC is a 20-question self-reporting depression inventory with scores that range from 0 to 60. According to Bright Futures, scores that are 15 or higher might indicate increasing levels of depression.
Reynolds Child Depression Scale
The RCDS was developed for use in grades three to six and is written at a second grade level. There are 30 items rated on a four-point scale. The inventory can be used individually or administered to a group. The total time to administer is 10 minutes.
Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, 2nd Edition
The RADS-2 is a 30-question self-reporting screening inventory used for ages 11 to 20. It measures symptoms on four scales; dysphoric mood, anhedonia/negative affect, negative self-evaluation and somatic complaints. The total time to administer is five to 10 minutes. The scores indicate the level of an adolescent's depression, which can be classified as normal, mild, moderate or severe.
