This is an update of the 2002 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on screening for child and adolescent major depressive disorder.

THE US PREVENTIVEServices Task Force (USPSTF) makes recommendations about
preventive care services for patients without recognized signs or symptoms of the
target condition. It bases its recommendations on a systematic review of the evidence
of the benefits and harms and an assessment of the net benefit of the service.
The USPSTF recognizes that clinical or policy decisions involve more consider-ations than this body of evidence alone. Clinicians and policy-makers should under-stand the evidence but individualize decision-making to the specific patient or
situation.