Depression in Children and Adolescents:
Treatment Considerations

Treatment of depression in children and adolescents raises a number of issues, and some controversy. Antidepressant medications are not indicated for those under the age of 18. The appropriateness of an antidepressant medication for a younger patient is therefore subject to the discretion of the physician, and to the approval of the parents. Management of the young patient on medication poses special concerns in dosage, side effects, compliance, and length of treatment.

Cognitive behavioural therapy can be an effective part of a comprehensive treatment plan, either augmenting medication or alone. Resistance to participation in therapy may be an issue to be dealt with by the parents and psychiatrist.

Interview: Mood Disorders in Adolescence – Text

Mood Disorders in Adolescence
Stanley Kutcher, DCPsy, FRCPC
Professor and Head of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre Halifax, NS

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