Alanna
Ad pediatric factsheet. Bmj2004efficacyandsafety. Most Antidepressants Aren’t Effective for Children, New Study Finds. Antidepressants for children and teens. Ajp.psychiatryonline. The use of antidepressants to treat depression in children and adolescents. + Author Affiliations Correspondence to: Dr. Amy H. Cheung, Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell St., 3rd Floor Tower, Toronto ON M5S 2S1; amy_cheung@camh.net Abstract The dramatic increase over the past 10 years in the amount of available clinical research on the use of antidepressants to treat major depression in children and adolescents has substantially improved our knowledge of the safety and efficacy of these medications in the pediatric population. Major depressive disorder affects up to 10% of youths and is associated with substantial short-and long-term morbidity and mortality.1,2 Depression is associated with functional impairment in school and at work and can be associated with problems.3–6 Symptoms of depression in youths are similar to those experienced by adults.
Antidepressants prescribed to adults are used to treat depression in children and adolescents. Methods Efficacy Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors Safety. Jamanetwork. Context The Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study evaluates the effectiveness of fluoxetine hydrochloride therapy, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and their combination in adolescents with major depressive disorder. Objective To report effectiveness outcomes across 36 weeks of randomized treatment. Design and Setting Randomized, controlled trial conducted in 13 academic and community sites in the United States.
Cognitive behavior and combination therapies were not masked, whereas administration of placebo and fluoxetine was double-blind through 12 weeks, after which treatments were unblinded. Patients assigned to placebo were treated openly after week 12, and the placebo group is not included in these analyses by design. Participants Three hundred twenty-seven patients aged 12 to 17 years with a primary DSM-IV diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Interventions All treatments were administered per protocol. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00006286. NIMH » Antidepressant Medications for Children and Adolescents: Information for Parents and Caregivers.
Depression is a serious disorder that can cause significant problems in mood, thinking, and behavior at home, in school, and with peers. It is estimated that major depressive disorder (MDD) affects about 5 percent of adolescents. Research has shown that, as in adults, depression in children and adolescents is treatable. Certain antidepressant medications, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can be beneficial to children and adolescents with MDD. Certain types of psychological therapies also have been shown to be effective.
However, our knowledge of antidepressant treatments in youth, though growing substantially, is limited compared to what we know about treating depression in adults. Recently, there has been some concern that the use of antidepressant medications themselves may induce suicidal behavior in youths. What Did the FDA Review Find? In the FDA review, no completed suicides occurred among nearly 2,200 children treated with SSRI medications. The SSRIs include: