OBJECTIVE: To verify early experiences of childhood abuse and neglect among young with bipolar disorder (BD), major depression (MDD), and controls. METHOD: Case-control study nested to a population-based cross-sectional study. The diagnosis was performed via the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID). Traumatic events were analyzed using the Portuguese version - Questionário sobre Traumas na Infância (CTQ) - based on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. RESULTS: The sample comprised 231 adolescents with 95 individuals in the control group, 82 with MDD and 54 with BD (32 of type I and 22 type II). The prevalence of trauma or violence in childhood was 42.2%; among those, 54.7% had BD, 62.2% had MDD and 18.1% were in the control group. Young people with BD or MDD obtained higher means in total CTQ and among their components when compared with those in the control group. DISCUSSION: Reports on early traumatic experiences were more frequent among young people with mood disorders than in the general population, corroborating the literature on the subject. In this sense, the traumatic experiences during childhood seemed to contribute to the onset of the disorder.