Depressive Illness and Learning Difficulties

Major depressive disorder (MDD) in children is a subject of much recent interest in psychiatry. In addition to the direct effects of MDD on learning and cognition in general, some investigators have suggested that there may be relationships of MDD to learning disabilities in general or to dysfunction to the right hemisphere of the brain in particular. In this report I briefly review the basis for these ideas, suggest some testable hypotheses, and discuss the potential implications of the hypotheses for educators and mental health professionals.