Depression in children and adolescents: new data on ‘undertreatment’ and a literature review on the efficacy of available treatments

This article reports on the treatment received by 38 adolescents during an episode of major depression which had a median duration of 4 months. The one subject who received any pharmacologic treatment was prescribed an antianxiety agent. Sixteen percent received psychotherapy. These results are cons...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of affective disorders 1991-03, Vol.21 (3), p.163-171
Main Authors: Keller, Martin B., Lavori, Philip W., Beardslee, William R., Wunder, Joanne, Ryan, Neal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anti-Anxiety Agents - therapeutic use
Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Depression
Depressive Disorder - diagnosis
Depressive Disorder - psychology
Depressive Disorder - therapy
Family Therapy
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapy
Risk Factors
Social Environment
Suicide - prevention & control
Undertreatment
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Summary:This article reports on the treatment received by 38 adolescents during an episode of major depression which had a median duration of 4 months. The one subject who received any pharmacologic treatment was prescribed an antianxiety agent. Sixteen percent received psychotherapy. These results are consistent with evidence from studies of adults indicating that depression is underrecognized and undertreated. An important caveat is that the small sample size limits the generalizability of these findings. Moreover, which medication should be prescribed when a diagnosis of depression is made is not yet known with certainty, as literature reviews indicate that more controlled trials of psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic treatments for adolescents with depression are needed to better understand the efficacy of treating depressed adolescents.
ISSN:0165-0327
1573-2517
DOI:10.1016/0165-0327(91)90037-S