Since adolescent depression has become more frequently recognized, its manifestations need to be identified. To explore cognitive-perceptual distortions in depression as a function of generational (adolescent vs. adult) differences, 25 adult and 25 adolescent female inpatients diagnosed as depressed were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). For the adolescents, BDI variables predictive of depression were self-dislike, sense of failure, social withdrawal, and body image distortion. For the adults, predictive variables were self-dislike, sense of failure, work retardation, and lack of satisfaction. Adolescent female depressives were differentiated from the total sample on the basis of four BDI items: suicidal wishes, sense of failure, anorexia and body image distortion. Adults were differentiated from the total sample on the basis of seven items: insomnia, fatigability, loss of libido, sense of guilt, weight loss, somatic preoccupation and pessimism. Adult depressed females presented an internalized, ruminative focus on their cognitive perceptual distortions, while adolescent depressed females presented an externalized focus. These findings suggest that group treatment methods may prove efficacious in the treatment of adolescent depressives. (Author/NRB)