Motor activity and depression severity in adolescent outpatients.

OBJECTIVES The present study investigated the association between motor activity and severity of depression in 6 depressed adolescent outpatients. METHOD Motor activity was assessed by actigraphy and the severity of depression was assessed weekly using the CDRS-R. The levels of motor activity were analyzed by considering activity parameters. RESULTS Among the parameters of motor activity studied, the mean total activity, the mean 24-hour activity levels, the mean waking activity, and the mean activity level between 12:00 and 18:00 h were inversely correlated with severity of depression. The means of the 10 most active hours tended toward a negative correlation with the depressive severity score. CONCLUSION The results seem to suggest an association between motor activity level and severity of depression in adolescents. Nevertheless, in order to reach a more conclusive understanding, it would be necessary to replicate this study using a larger number of individuals as well as a longer observation period.