Symptoms of DSM-III-R major depression among Anglo, African and Mexican American adolescents.

Ethnocultural differences in the phenomenology of DSM-III-R major depression among adolescents was examined in a sample of 334 Anglo, African and Mexican American patients 12-17 years of age. Diagnoses were made using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version 2.1. Analyses of rates of individual symptoms as well as the nine DSM-III-R criteria revealed minimal differences among youths in the three ethnic groups who received a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. There also were minimal differences between boys and girls in symptom profiles.