[Prevalence and clinical manifestations of depression in school adolescent population]

To reveal the symptoms of depressions in juvenile population the method of double questioning of both parents and juveniles was elaborated. By means of this method 524 adolescents, boys and girls aged 12-17 years, the pupils of 7-11th classes of schools with different forms of education were examined. The study showed that this method permitted to reveal depressive states in adolescents with high degree of accuracy. The results of the questionnaire which gave chance in suggest the presence of depressive disorders were confirmed in 73% of the cases by the results of the following clinical-psychopathologic examination. Prevalence of depressions in the investigated population was 19%. There was a tendency to an increase of the frequency of depressions in the age range from 12 to 16 years (from 10% to 31%) and a decrease in 17-years-olds. the method of duble (parents-juveniles) questioning is simple and safe, and may be used both in researches and in practical school psychiatry.