RIGHT-HEMISPHERE, WHITE-MATTER LEARNING-DISABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION IN AN ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG-ADULT PSYCHIATRIC POPULATION

Four hundred and eighty-four adolescents and young adults at an inpati ent psychiatric facility were diagnosed as nonverbal learning disabled , verbal learning disabled, general learning disabled, or normal psych iatric controls. The nonverbal learning disabled group had the highest incidence of depression and was clearly different from the reading di sabled group (66.3% vs. 33.3%). Nondisabled subjects were significantl y more likely than the other subjects to be diagnosed with adjustment problems. Depressed subjects were significantly younger and more likel y to be female. This study supports the contention that right-hemisphe re, white-matter, arithmetic-disabled adolescents and young adults in a psychiatric population are at greater risk for depression than are p sychiatric patients not showing this pattern.