Antidepressants in Children -- What Does Research Tell Us?

A child's response to antidepressants cannot be predicted with certainty. One major clinical trial has indicated that a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment for adolescents with depression. The clinical trial of 439 adolescents ages 12 to 17 with depression compared four treatment groups -- one that received a combination of fluoxetine and psychotherapy, one that received fluoxetine only, one that received psychotherapy only, and one that received a placebo only.

 

After the first 12 weeks:

 

At the beginning of the study, 29 percent of the participants were having clinically significant suicidal thoughts. Although the rate of suicidal thinking decreased among all the treatment groups, those in the fluoxetine/psychotherapy combination treatment group showed the greatest reduction in suicidal thinking.

 

Limited depression research has been conducted on treatment of depression in pre-pubertal children. Controlled clinical trials supporting the effectiveness of fluoxetine exist, but more research is needed to develop and test effective depression medications and psychosocial treatments for these children.