Depression and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Thirty-five boys, classified as major depressive disorder (MDD, N = 12), attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH, N = 12), or normal (NL, N = 11) on the basis of structured clinical interviews were evaluated using the Child Depression Rating Scale (CDRS), Connor's Parent Questionnaire (CPQ), and Jesness Inventory Manifest Aggression Scale (JIMAS). The MDD group scored significantly higher than the NL group on the CPQ indicating a higher than normal rate of externalizing behavioral symptoms for the MDD boys. Item analyses of JIMAS revealed that the MDD group positively endorsed criteria showing poor impulse control and stress intolerance significantly more often than the other two groups. Boys with MDD did not have features of ADDH, but may have oppositional disorder, whereas boys with ADDH may have dysthymia.