Childhood adversity and adulthood major depressive disorder

•Histories of adverse childhood life events are common in outpatients with major depressive disorder.•Childhood adversity is associated with a younger age of first diagnosis of major depression, lifetime suicidal thoughts, severe depression and PTSD.•Childhood adversity does not predict remission or response to “next-step” treatments for major depressive disorder.•Different types of childhood adversities are associated with distinct treatment outcomes.•Sustained clinical attention to ongoing suicide risk and focused interventions are needed for patients with MDD and histories of childhood adversity.