Reactive mood and atypical depression in psychiatrically hospitalized depressed adolescents

We undertook this study to determine the frequency of atypical depression and associated features in a sample of adolescents hospitalized for depression. One hundred and twenty-two consecutively admitted depressed adolescents were included in the study. Each adolescent was retrospectively assessed for the presence of atypical depression based on the DSM W Atypical Feature Specifier criteria (mood reactivity plus two of four associated symptoms: hypercharge, hypersomnia, leaden paralysis, and/or a pathological sensitivity to rejection). We found that 45% of the depressed adolescents displayed a reactive mood. Seven percent of our subjects met criteria for atypical depression. An additional 7% met criteria for probable atypical depression (reactive mood plus one associated feature). Subjects with atypical depression and probable atypical depression were significantly less depressed than those with nonreactive mood. Depression 3:176–181 (1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.