Pharmacological Treatment of Depression and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

There are strong similarities between child and adolescent forms of depressive and anxiety disorders and their adult counterparts. Nevertheless, in contrast to the literature regarding adult depression, controlled studies using modern methodologies to examine the efficacy of both pharmacological and psychosocial treatments of these disorders are relatively rare. Current clinical practice bases pharmacological treatment decisions on these few studies, open clinical data in children and adolescents, and extrapolation from controlled studies in adults. Given the small research base for pharmacological approaches, clinical practice frequently employs psychosocial treatments prior to pharmacological ones.

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Notes on contributors

G. Scott Waterman

G. Scott Waterman, MD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Co-Director, Child and Adolescent Mood Program, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh. His interests include diagnosis and pharmacotherapy of mood, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Neal D. Ryan

Neal D. Ryan, MD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Research Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh. His interests include the psychobiology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.