An impediment to arriving at recommendations, similar to adults, for screening children for depression in medical care settings is that the diagnosis of depression is especially complicated in children who are suffering from medical illnesses. However, recently the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the use of self-report questionnaires as aids to patients who are suspected of having emotional problems after an initial inquiry by the pediatrician. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) (a 27-item self-report questionnaire) in medically ill children who were referred for evaluation by their pediatricians and suspected of having an emotional problem. The results indicate that a self-report measure of depression (CDI) was significantly associated with, and could be used as a predictor of, the existence of either a major depressive disorder (MDD) or any depressive disorder in this group of suspected but not previously diagnosed medically ill children. Tables and references