Economic Rationality in Youth With Emerging Mood Disorders

Abstract

Cognitive difficulties are common in persons experiencing anxiety or mood disorders. In this article, we explore the economic concept of rational decision-making in young people with emerging mood disorders by using incentive-compatible experiments involving choices over consumer products. At 2 time points, separated by 6–8 weeks, we measured irrational decision-making (defined as violations of the Generalized Axiom of Revealed Preference) concurrently with levels of anxiety and depression levels using the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10); the 17-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology, Adolescent Version (QIDS-A17); and the 12-item Somatic and Psychological Health Report (SPHERE-12) in 30 participants (mean age 19.22 years, 19 male) attending a youth mental health clinic. In total, 15 (50%) participants rated high on all three psychological questionnaires combined, scoring “severely” depressed (QIDS-A17 ≥ 16), “severely” anxious (K10 ≥ 30), and “Level 1 (Type 1)” (SPHERE-12). In Session 2, taking attrition into account, we estimated that of our returning 25 patients, 11 (44%) participants continued to rate high on all three psychological scores. We found that the degree of economic irrationality was higher in young people with more severe mood disorder symptoms (anxiety measured by K10, Pearson’s correlation r = .406, p = .026). These results may have implications for both characterization and treatment of common mood disorders in young people.