儿童抑郁症的患病率有所不同,取决于评估的样本和时期。一项纳入 26 项流行病学研究的 meta 分析(对生于 1965 年和 1996 年间的儿童超过 60,000 例观察)发现抑郁症估计的患病率在 13 岁以下儿童中是 2.8%,在 13 岁和 18 岁之间的儿童中是 5.6%。[2]Costello EJ, Foley DL, Angold A. 10-year research update review: the epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders: II. Developmental epidemiology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006 Jan;45(1):8-25.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16327577?tool=bestpractice.com 在这些流行病学研究中,一项研究调查了 1420 名 9-13 岁来自北卡罗来纳州的儿童,发现了 DSM-IV 抑郁症(重性抑郁障碍和心境恶劣)3 个月的患病率在儿童中为 0.9,在青少年中为 3.1。[3]Costello EJ, Mustillo S, Erkanli A, et al. Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003 Aug;60(8):837-44.http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/60/8/837.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12912767?tool=bestpractice.com 在男孩和女孩中的发病率近似,但与青春期男孩相比,在青春期女孩中变成了两倍,这与成年抑郁的性别比例一致。[4]Hankin BL, Abramson LY, Moffitt TE, et al. Development of depression from preadolescence to young adulthood: emerging gender differences in a 10-year longitudinal study. J Abnorm Psychol. 1998 Feb;107(1):128-40.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9505045?tool=bestpractice.com 在青春期结束前的严重抑郁累积患病率或终身患病率,远远高于童年早期(高达 25%)。[5]Kessler RC, Avenevoli S, Ries Merikangas K. Mood disorders in children and adolescents: an epidemiologic perspective. Biol Psychiatry. 2001 Jun 15;49(12):1002-14.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11430842?tool=bestpractice.com 虽然有报道说,在临床样本中抑郁患病率呈现增加的长期趋势,但没有证据表明过去 30 年间,在一般人群中,儿童的抑郁发病率已经增加。[2]Costello EJ, Foley DL, Angold A. 10-year research update review: the epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders: II. Developmental epidemiology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006 Jan;45(1):8-25.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16327577?tool=bestpractice.com 在土著儿童[6]Pumariega AJ, Roth EM, Rogers KM. Depression in immigrant and minority children and youth. In: Rey JM, Birmaher B, eds. Treating child and adolescent depression. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009:321-31. 以及在慢性疾病患病儿童中,抑郁疾病的患病率更高。[7]Pinquart M, Shen Y. Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: an updated meta-analysis. J Pediatr Psychol. 2011 May;36(4):375-84.http://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/content/36/4/375.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21088072?tool=bestpractice.com