Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of pediatric depression

Abstract

Importance of the field: Depressive disorders in children and adolescents are prevalent and impairing. Current available treatments of childhood depression have advanced over the years but still leave many patients with residual symptoms.

Areas covered in this review: We here review the pharmacotherapy and psychoptherapy of pediatric major depressive disorder. We conducted a Pubmed review on this topic covering the last 30 years.

What the reader will gain: The reader will learn about the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of the different pediatric depression treatment modalities. We review evidence-based treatments, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and antidepressant treatments. We critically review the extant clinical trials for these treatments, and discuss both antidepressants efficacy and adverse events, including risk for suicidal events.

Take home message: Current treatments lead to a sustained response rate of up to 80% and a remission rate of 60% by 6 months, but we are in need of more personalized treatment to optimize treatment response. The identification of biomarkers of response may be the first step towards personalized treatment development.

Keywords::

• CBT
• depressive disorders
• pediatric depresssion
• SSRI
• suicide

Notes

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