Comparison of Physical Health Conditions among Adolescents Aged 12 to 17 with and without Major Depressive Episode

The purpose of this report is to examine the prevalence of MDE among adolescents with varying levels of self-rated overall health and with and without three respiratory health conditions (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia), body mass index category (including overweight and obesity), and diabetes using data from a nationally representative household sample, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). These health conditions were examined because, based on prior research, they have been shown to be associated with depression. This study also takes the next step of furthering knowledge about whether the associations between depression and physical health conditions differ among particular populations by exploring whether these associations differ by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and poverty status.