Majority of teens with major depression show improvement with treatment

Reuters HealthDay reported on February 12,2009 on a study which appeared in the February, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psyciatry which found that most teenagers struggling with major depression showed improvement over several months. Here is a snippet from the Reuters article:

A majority of teenagers treated for major depression show lasting improvements, though it may take several months for the benefits to appear, a new study suggests.

The study of 439 teenagers with major depression found that while only about one-quarter saw their symptoms go into remission after the first 12 weeks of therapy, that rate improved to 60 percent by the 9-month mark.

When it came to long-term recovery, the researchers found that of teenagers who did respond to therapy early on, two-thirds maintained the improvements over 9 months. The same was true of 71 percent of teens who initially took longer than 12 weeks to respond to therapy.

The findings highlight the importance of not giving up on depression treatment, as remission rates get better over time, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The study also suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressant drugs are similarly effective over the long term, according to the investigators, led by Dr. Betsy D. Kennard of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

However, teenagers who received both therapies were more likely to show quick improvements than those on either treatment alone, the study found.

To read the whole Reuters article,click here.

I see a number of depressed teens in my practice and most all of them improve, the majority with talk therapy. Once in a while I will refer the teen to their PCP for an antidepressant and they usually respond quickly. The only FDA approved antidepressant for teens is Prozac (floxetine). I also touch base with the parents and sometimes, with the teens agreement, include them in family sessions.

I use Narrative therapy ideas and externalize the problems which allows for cognitive reframes and an emotional systems perspective and support.

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