William J. Chambers

Prepubertal Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Study

Abstract A group of 13 prepubertal children fitting unmodified Research Diagnostic Criteria for major depressive disorder in adults was identified. The clinical characteristics of the group are described as well as the results of an open trial of imipramine. Pilot data from this study point to the possibility that adult and prepubertal major depressive disorders are basically the same illness occurring at different points in development.

Plasma Levels of Imipramine (IMI) and Desmethylimipramine (DMI) and Clinical Response in Prepubertal Major Depressive Disorder: A Preliminary Report

Abstract A study is in progress to examine the relationship between clinical response to imipramine (IMI) of prepubertal major depressive disorder at 5 weeks and plasma levels of IMI and its metabolite desmethylimipramine (DMI). Data are presented on the first 13 children in the study. A strong correlation is emerging in nondelusional subjects between total plasma level and clinical response. A total plasma level of 146 ng/ml separates respondent from nonresponders. These data parallel those previously reported in adult major depressive disorder by several investigators.

Cortisol hypersecretion in prepubertal depressive illness: a preliminary report.

Abstract (1) Plasma cortisol was measured every 20 min for 10–24 hr in 4 prepubertal children fitting unmodified Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for major depressive disorder, endogenous subtype. (2) Hormonal assessments were made before treatment and after clinical recovery. (3) Two of the 4 subjects presented evidence of cortisol hypersecretion during illness, subsiding after clinical recovery, similar to that seen in adult endogenous depressives. (4) These preliminary data support the hypothesis that child and adult major depressive disorders are basically the same illness occurring at different points in development.

Growth Hormone, Prolactin, and Growth Responses in Hyperkinetic Males Treated with D-Amphetamine

Abstract Growth patterns in previously unmedicated hyperactive boys were assessed monthly for 1 year or more while they received treatment with d-amphetamine (N = 13) or phenothiazines (N = 8). The d-amphetamine group, who sustained their behavior improvement throughout the study, underwent sleep and endocrine studies before and after 6 months on drug therapy. By 1 year, the phenothiazine group had achieved a 7-point increase in weight percentile and a 4-percentile gain in height, but the d-amphetamine group had lost 16 percentile points in weight and 10 percentile points in height. Height and weight velocities had fallen significantly (p