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has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Pattern of Depressive Illness among School Age Children Presenting at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

  AUTHORS: A. K. Nkporbu, B. A. Alex-Hart

  KEYWORDS: Pattern, Depressive Illness, School Age Children, UPTH

  JOURNAL NAME: Open Journal of Depression, Vol.11 No.3, August 22, 2022

  ABSTRACT: Background: Depression is very common amongst adolescents and is the fourth leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. Majority of the studies on depression among adolescents were carried out in the western world, with very few in developing countries like Nigeria. The aim of this study therefore was to determine the prevalence and pattern of depressive illness among school age children 10 - 19 years seen at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out in the Child and Adolescent Clinic of the Neuropsychiatry Department of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). The case notes of all school age children aged between 10 to 19 years who were treated for depression from 2010 to 2019 were retrieved and reviewed. Information sought included sociodemographic, year of presentation and diagnosis. Data was fed in to excel spread sheet and analyzed using SPSS version software. Results:The Clinic had attended to a total 1096 children with various childhood mental illnesses within the period under review. Out of 238 patients (21.7%) aged 10 to 19 years treated for depression within the period under review, 129 (54.20%) were males and 109 (45.80%) were females with male to female ratio of 1.18:1. The 15 - 19 years age group had a higher prevalence of depression 195 (81.93%) compared to 109 (45.80%) of those aged between 10 to 14 years. One hundred and thirty-six (57.14%) patients had severe depression, out of which 87 (63.97%) had non-psychotic depression, while 49 (36.03%) had psychotic depression. Increasing age (p = 0.001) and living in the urban area (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with having severe depression. Conclusion: Depression is common in our environment. Severe depression was the commonest form of depression among adolescents seen in UPTH. Preventive measures should be instituted in primary and secondary schools in Rivers State to reduce its prevalence.