Clinical Symptomatology as Predictors of Early Treatment Response in Adolescents and Young Adults With Major Depressive Episode

Background In clinics, major depressive episodes (MDE) in adolescents and early adults with mood disorders are a prevalent manifestation with limited treatment efficacy. Previous studies have suggested that early‐stage treatment response is an important predictor of patients' final clinical outcome. Finding clinical features related to early‐stage treatment response is crucial for optimizing interventions and understanding outcome determinants. Methods We conducted a study involving 218 inpatients aged 13–25 years with mood disorders currently in MDE. We evaluated patients' multi‐dimensional clinical features both at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment; the main outcome measure was the reduction rate of total the 17‐item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD‐17) scores between baseline and 2 weeks of treatment. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify baseline predictive clinical factors. Results Baseline HAMD total score (OR = 1.10, 95% CI [1.00, 1.20], p = 0.045) and thought disorder factor scores of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) (OR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.70, 0.91], p < 0.001) were significantly associated with early‐stage treatment response. Conclusion Our study contributes to predicting early‐stage treatment response in adolescents and young adults with MDE based on baseline clinical features. Baseline HAMD total score and thought disorder factor scores of BPRS are potential clinical predictors. Understanding such factors enhances treatment decision‐making and efficacy.