Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:02:21.282Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Medication Treatment for Depression in Children and Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Abstract

Depression in children and adolescents is relatively common and associated with significant morbidity and mortality—thus, it is strongly deserving of treatment. To date, there have been a number of randomized, controlled trials of both tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the acute treatment of depression in youths. Surprisingly, the available data do not demonstrate TCA superiority over placebo for this disorder in this age group. There is, however, evidence of SSRI superiority to placebo, and longer-term treatment with SSRIs may help prevent recurrence. There is almost no data on other pharmacologic approaches. Effective use of the efficacious treatments also depends on effective case-finding and providing treatment, which families and youths will take in adequate quantity and duration. The right approaches to these aspects of effective treatment are greatly understudied.

Type
Review
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Puig-Antich, J, Blau, S, Marx, N, Greenhill, LL, Chambers, W. Prepubertal major depressive disorder: a pilot study. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1978;17:695707.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Ryan, ND, Puig-Antich, J, Ambrosini, P, et al.The clinical picture of major depression in children and adolescents. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1987;44:854861.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Kovacs, M, Feinberg, TL, Crouse-Novak, MA, Paulauskas, SL, Finkelstein, R. Depressive disorders in childhood. I. A longitudinal prospective study of characteristics and recovery. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1984;41:229237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Kovacs, M, Feinberg, TL, Crouse-Novak, M, Paulauskas, SL, Pollock, M, Finkelstein, R. Depressive disorders in childhood. II. A longitudinal study of the risk for a subsequent major depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1984;41:643649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Puig-Antich, J, Goetz, D, Davies, M, et al.A controlled family history study of prepubertal major depressive disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989;46:406418.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Williamson, DE, Ryan, ND, Birmaher, B, et al.A case-control family history study of depression in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995;34:15961607.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Ryan, ND. Psychoneuroendocrinology of children and adolescents. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1998;21:435441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Harrington, R, Whittaker, J, Shoebridge, P, Campbell, F. Systematic review of efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapies in childhood and adolescent depressive disorder. Br Med J. 1998;316:15591563.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Thase, ME, Entsuah, AR, Rudolph, RL. Remission rates during treatment with venlafaxine or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Br J Psychiatry. 2001;178:234241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Petti, TA, Law, W 3rd.Imipramine treatment of depressed children: a double-blind pilot study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1982;2:107110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Kashani, JH, Shekim, WO, Reid, JC. Amitriptyline in children with major depressive disorder: a double-blind crossover pilot study. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1984;23:348351.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Preskorn, SH, Weller, EB, Hughes, CW, Weller, RA, Bolte, K. Depression in prepubertal children: dexamethasone nonsuppression predicts differential response to imipramine vs. placebo. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1987;23:128133.Google ScholarPubMed
13.Puig-Antich, J, Perel, JM, Lupatkin, W, et al.Imipramine in prepubertal major depressive disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1987;44:8189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Geller, B, Cooper, TB, McCombs, HG, Graham, D, Wells, J. Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of nortriptyline in depressed children using a “fixed plasma level” design. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1989;25:101108.Google ScholarPubMed
15.Hughes, CW, Preskorn, SH, Weller, E, Weller, R, Hassanein, R, Tucker, S. The effect of concomitant disorders in childhood depression on predicting treatment response. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1990;26:235238.Google ScholarPubMed
16.Kramer, AD, Feiguine, RJ. Clinical effects of amitriptyline in adolescent depression. A pilot study. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1981;20:636644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Geller, B, Cooper, TB, Graham, DL, Marsteller, FA, Bryant, DM. Double-blind placebo-controlled study of nortriptyline in depressed adolescents using a “fixed plasma level” design. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1990;26:8590.Google ScholarPubMed
18.Klein, RG, Koplewicz, HS, Kanner, A. Imipramine treatment of children with separation anxiety disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1992;31:2128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Kutcher, S, Boulos, C, Ward, B, et al.Response to desipramine treatment in adolescent depression: a fixed-dose, placebo-controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1994;33:686694.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Kye, CH, Waterman, GS, Ryan, ND, et al.A randomized, controlled trial of amitriptyline in the acute treatment of adolescent major depression. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996;35:11391144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Keller, MB, Ryan, ND, Strober, M, et al.Efficacy of paroxetine in the treatment of adolescent major depression: a randomized, controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001;40:762772.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Birmaher, B, Ryan, ND, Williamson, DE, Brent, DA, Kaufman, J. Childhood and adolescent depression: a review of the past 10 years. Part II. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996;35:15751583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Simeon, JG, Dinicola, VF, Ferguson, HB, Copping, W. Adolescent depression: a placebo-controlled fluoxetine treatment study and follow-up. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1990;14:791795.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Sallee, FR, Vrindavanam, NS, Deas-Nesmith, D, Carson, SW, Sethuraman, G. Pulse intravenous clomipramine for depressed adolescents: double-blind, controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry. 1997;154:668673.Google ScholarPubMed
25.Emslie, GJ, Rush, AJ, Weinberg, WA, et al.A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine in children and adolescents with depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997;54:10311037.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Emslie, GJ, Heiligenstein, JH, Hoog, SL, et al. Fluoxetine for acute treatment of depression in children and adolescents: a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Paper presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology; December 10-14, 2000; San Juan, Puerto Rico.Google Scholar
27.Wagner, KD, Robb, AS, Findling, R, Tiseo, PJ. Citalopram is effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: results of a placebo-controlled trial. Paper presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology; December 9-13, 2001; Waikaloa, HI.Google Scholar
28.Donnelly, CL, Winokur, A, Wohlberg, CJ. Efficacy and safety of sertraline in the treatment of pediatric major depressive disorder. Paper presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology; December 9-13, 2001; Waikaloa, HI.Google Scholar
29.Ryan, ND, Puig-Antich, J, Rabinovich, H, et al.MAOIs in adolescent major depression unresponsive to tricyclic antidepressants. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1988;27:755758.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30.Ryan, ND, Meyer, V, Dachille, S, Mazzie, D, Puig-Antich, J. Lithium antidepressant augmentation in TCA-refractory depression in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1988;27:371376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31.Strober, M, Freeman, R, Rigali, J, Schmidt, S, Diamond, R. The pharmacotherapy of depressive illness in adolescence: II. Effects of lithium augmentation in nonresponders to imipramine. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1992;31:1620.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32.Emslie, GJ, Mayes, TL. Mood disorders in children and adolescents: psychopharmacological treatment. Biol Psychiatry. 2001;49:10821090.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33.Gamble, VN. Under the shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and health care. Am J Public Health. 1997;87:17731778.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34.Gamble, VN. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study and women's health. J Am Med Womens Assoc. 1997;52:195196.Google ScholarPubMed