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Treated Prevalence, Incidence, and Pharmacotherapy of Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders in an HMO

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Mental Health Services Research

Abstract

This study examined the “treated” prevalence, incidence, and pharmacotherapy of child and adolescent mood disorders in a managed care setting. General prevalence patterns across age and sex were similar to those reported in community epidemiology studies, although, not unexpectedly, the overall rates were somewhat lower. Primary care providers identified a substantial proportion of the youth with a mood disorder. Antidepressant medication was used more often by youth identified with a mood disorder in medical care settings than by those youth identified in specialty mental health care settings. These results are valuable in determining if youth with mood disorders receiving medication prescriptions across settings are treated according to current best practice guidelines (such as the adult depression guidelines [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1993]), that is, primarily with SSRI medications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Researchs, Portland, Oregon

    Lynn L. DeBar, Gregory N. Clarke, Elizabeth O'Connor & Gregory A. Nichols

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  1. Lynn L. DeBar
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  2. Gregory N. Clarke
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  3. Elizabeth O'Connor
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  4. Gregory A. Nichols
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Correspondence to Lynn L. DeBar.

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DeBar, L.L., Clarke, G.N., O'Connor, E. et al. Treated Prevalence, Incidence, and Pharmacotherapy of Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders in an HMO. Ment Health Serv Res 3, 73–89 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011512901714

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