Disorders - Depressive Disorders
Donnelly, Craig L., Wagner, Karen Dineen, Rynn, Moira, Ambrosini, Paul, Landau, Phyllis, Yang, Ruoyong, Wohlberg, Christopher J.
OBJECTIVE: To explore time to first response and time to first persistent response of sertraline versus placebo and compare these parameters between children (6-11 years old, n = 177) and adolescents (12-17 years old, n = 199) with major depressive disorder. METHOD: A 10-week placebo-controlled treatment was followed by a 24-week open-label sertraline treatment. The double-blind studies were not powered to detect efficacy differences between age groups. A post hoc analysis explored time to first response and first persistent response using the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised and Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement predefined criteria. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in time to first response or first persistent response between sertraline and placebo in children, except for time to first response on Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement. Sertraline had a significantly faster time to first persistent response in adolescents compared to placebo. Within treatment groups, children had a significantly faster time to first response than adolescents, whether treated with placebo or sertraline, but not on time to first persistent response. Both age groups showed similar improvement over 34 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSION: In the double-blind studies, children and adolescents had different patterns of response with sertraline vs. placebo.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(10) : 1162-70
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Cutuli, J. J., Chaplin, T. M., Gillham, J. E., Reivich, K. J., Seligman, M. E. P.
Children who exhibit elevated levels of conduct problems are at increased risk for developing co-occurring depression symptoms, especially during adolescence. This study tests the effectiveness of a manualized after school intervention (the Penn Resiliency Program [PRP]) for the prevention of depression symptoms among a subset of middle-school-aged students who exhibited elevated levels of conduct problems, but not depression symptoms, at the start of the study. Longitudinal analyses demonstrate that the program successfully prevented elevations in depression symptoms across early- to mid-adolescence compared to nointervention controls. copyright 2006 New York Academy of Sciences.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1094 : 282-286
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Larun, L., Nordheim, L. V., Ekeland, E., Hagen, K. B., Heian, F.
BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common psychological disorders for children and adolescents. Psychological (e.g. psychotherapy), psychosocial (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy) and biological (e.g. SSRIs or tricyclic drugs) treatments are the most common treatments being offered. The large variety of therapeutic interventions give rise to questions of clinical effectiveness and side effects. Physical exercise is inexpensive with few, if any, side effects. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of exercise interventions in reducing or preventing anxiety or depression in children and young people up to 20 years of age. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (latest issue available), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC and Sportdiscus up to August 2005. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials of vigorous exercise interventions for children and young people up to the age of 20, with outcome measures for depression and anxiety. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed methodological quality and extracted data. The trials were combined using meta-analysis methods. A narrative synthesis was performed when the reported data did not allow statistical pooling. MAIN RESULTS: Sixteen studies with a total of 1191 participants between 11 and 19 years of age were included.Eleven trials compared vigourous exercise versus no intervention in a general population of children. Six studies reporting anxiety scores showed a non-significant trend in favour of the exercise group (standard mean difference (SMD) (random effects model) -0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.97 to 0.01). Five studies reporting depression scores showed a statistically significant difference in favour of the exercise group (SMD (random effects model) -0.66, 95% CI -1.25 to -0.08). However, all trials were generally of low methodological quality and they were highly heterogeneous with regard to the population, intervention and measurement instruments used. One small trial investigated children in treatment showed no statistically significant difference in depression scores in favour of the control group (SMD (fixed effects model) 0.78, 95% CI -0.47 to 2.04). No studies reported anxiety scores for children in treatment.Five trials comparing vigorous exercise to low intensity exercise show no statistically significant difference in depression and anxiety scores in the general population of children. Three trials reported anxiety scores (SMD (fixed effects model) -0.14, 95% CI -0.41 to 0.13). Two trials reported depression scores (SMD (fixed effects model) -0.15, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.14). Two small trials found no difference in depression scores for children in treatment (SMD (fixed effects model) -0.31, 95% CI -0.78 to 0.16). No studies reported anxiety scores for children in treatment.Four trials comparing exercise with psychosocial interventions showed no statistically significant difference in depression and anxiety scores in the general population of children. Two trials reported anxiety scores (SMD (fixed effects model) -0.13, 95% CI -0.43 to 0.17). Two trials reported depression scores (SMD (fixed effects model) 0.10, 95% CI-0.21 to 0.41). One trial found no difference in depression scores for children in treatment (SMD (fixed effects model) -0.31, 95% CI -0.97 to 0.35). No studies reported anxiety scores for children in treatment. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Whilst there appears to be a small effect in favour of exercise in reducing depression and anxiety scores in the general population of children and adolescents, the small number of studies included and the clinical diversity of participants, interventions and methods of measurement limit the ability to draw conclusions. It makes little difference whether the exercise is of high or low intensity. The effect of exercise for children in treatment for anxiety and depression is unknown as the evidence base is scarce. [References: 50]
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3 : CD004691
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Physical activity, exercise
Melvin, Glenn A., Tonge, Bruce J., King, Neville J., Heyne, David, Gordon, Michael S., Klimkeit, Ester
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cognitive-behavioral therapy, antidepressant medication alone, and combined CBT and antidepressant medication in the treatment of depressive disorders in adolescents. METHOD: Seventy-three adolescents (ages 12-18 years) with a primary diagnosis of DSM-IV major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, or depressive disorder not otherwise specified were randomly allocated to one of three treatments. Treatment outcome measures were administered before and after acute treatment, and at a 6-month follow-up. Depression diagnosis was the primary outcome measure; secondary measures were self- and other report and clinician rating of global functioning. The trial was conducted at three community-based clinics between July 2000 and December 2002. Data analyses used an intent-to-treat strategy. RESULTS: Following acute treatment, all treatment groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement on outcome measures (depressive diagnosis, Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire), and improvement was maintained at follow-up. Combined cognitive-behavioral therapy and antidepressant medication was not found to be superior to either treatment alone. Compared with antidepressant medication alone, participants receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy alone demonstrated a superior acute treatment response (odds ratio = 6.86; 95% confidence interval 1.12-41.82). Although cognitive-behavioral therapy was found to be superior to antidepressant medication alone for the acute treatment of mild to moderate depression among youth, this may have stemmed from the relatively low dose of sertraline used. CONCLUSIONS: All treatments led to a reduction in depression, but the advantages of a combined approach were not evident.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(10) : 1151-61
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Psychological Interventions (any)
, Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
March, John S., Klee, Brian J., Kremer, Charlotte M.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the balance between the benefits of treatment and the risk of suicidality in children and adolescents in multicenter, randomized, controlled trials of sertraline versus placebo. Method: The published literature was searched for multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of sertraline for pediatric mental disorders. Four trials were identified: Two (pooled) in pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD; Wagner 2003) and two in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; March et al. 1998; POTS Team 2004). Using intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis populations, the authors calculated the number needed to treat (NNT) for response and remission and the number needed to harm (NNH) for suicidality, and their ratio, for each clinical trial. Results: NNTs ranged from 2 to 10, indicating clinically meaningful benefits. Benefit was greater for OCD than for MDD, and for adolescents as compared with children in MDD. No age effect was apparent for OCD. Suicidality was reported in 8 patients (5 assigned to sertraline and 3 assigned to placebo). All but 1 (a placebo-treated patient in the Pfizer OCD trial) were enrolled in the sertraline MDD trial. The NNH for suicidality in MDD was 64. Treatment emergent suicidality was more common in children (NNH 28.7) than in adolescents (NNH 706.3). Because no patient developed suicidality in sertraline-treated OCD patients, the NNH for sertraline in OCD approaches infinity. Conclusions: With the stipulation that doctor and patient preferences necessarily play a critical role in the choice of treatment, NNT to NNH ratios indicate a positive benefit-to-risk ratio for sertraline in adolescents with MDD and in patients of all ages with OCD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract).
Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 16(1-2) : 91-102
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Loo, Colleen, McFarquhar, Tara, Walter, Garry
OBJECTIVE: There are few safe and effective biological treatments for major depression in adolescents. We aimed to report the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment for adolescents with this condition. METHODS: The first two subjects in a double-blind, sham-controlled trial of rTMS that is evaluating the efficacy and safety of rTMS in depressed adolescents are described. Clinical response was assessed at baseline and at the end of each week. The following scales were used: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Centre for Epidemiological Studies - Depression - Child Scale. A battery of cognitive tests was also used at several intervals to measure potential change in neuropsychological functioning. RESULTS: Random allocation of both subjects was to active treatment. Both subjects improved to a clinically significant degree with rTMS treatment and reported no adverse effects. Neuropsychological testing did not demonstrate any deterioration in the domains of functioning tested. CONCLUSIONS: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation shows early promise as a treatment for major depression in adolescents. Well-designed, sham-controlled studies are now indicated to test the efficacy and safety of rTMS in these patients.
Australasian Psychiatry, 14(1) : 81-5
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Hammerness, Paul G., Vivas, Fe M., Geller, Daniel A.
Journal of Pediatrics, 148(2) : 158-65
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Kennard, B.,
OBJECTIVE: To ascertain remission rates in depressed youth participating in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS), a multisite clinical trial that randomized 439 adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) to a 12-week treatment of fluoxetine (FLX), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), their combination (COMB), or clinical management with pill placebo (PBO). METHOD: Using an end-of-treatment Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) total score of 28 or below as the criterion for remission, rates of remission were examined with logistic regression, controlling for site. Loss of MDD diagnosis and residual symptoms in responders (defined as Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) were also examined across treatment groups. RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, 102 (23%) of 439 youths had reached remission. The remission rate was significantly higher in the COMB group (37%) relative to the other treatment groups (FLX, 23%; CBT, 16%; PBO, 17%), with odds ratios of 2.1 for COMB versus FLX, 3.3 for COMB versus CBT, and 3.0 for COMB versus PBO. In addition, 71% of subjects across treatment groups no longer met criteria for MDD at the end of acute treatment. Fifty percent of the youths who responded by CGI-I criteria continued to have residual symptoms, such as sleep or mood disturbances, fatigue, and poor concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of FLX and CBT was superior to both monotherapy and PBO in terms of remission rates, but overall rates of remission remain low and residual symptoms are common at the end of 12 weeks of treatment. Copyright 2006 copyright American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(12) : 1404-1411
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Psychological Interventions (any)
, Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
Jorm, Anthony F., Allen, Nicholas B., O'Donnell, Colin P., Parslow, Ruth A., Purcell, Rosemary, Morgan, Amy J.
OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence for the effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression in children and adolescents. DATA SOURCES: Systematic literature search using PubMed, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library for 131 treatments up to February 2006. STUDY SELECTION: There were 13 treatments that had been evaluated in intervention studies. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies on each treatment were reviewed by one author and checked by a second. A consensus was reached for level of evidence. DATA SYNTHESIS: Relevant evidence was available for glutamine, S-adenosylmethionine, St John's wort, vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, light therapy, massage, art therapy, bibliotherapy, distraction techniques, exercise, relaxation therapy and sleep deprivation. However, the evidence was limited and generally of poor quality. The only treatment with reasonable supporting evidence was light therapy for winter depression. CONCLUSIONS: Given that antidepressant medication is not recommended as a first line treatment for children and adolescents with mild to moderate depression, and that the effects of psychological treatments are modest, there is a pressing need to extend the range of treatments available for this age group. [References: 49]
Medical Journal of Australia, 185(7) : 368-72
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
, Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
Horowitz, Jason L., Garber, Judy
Research on the prevention of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents was reviewed and synthesized with meta-analysis. When all 30 studies were included, selective prevention programs were found to be more effective than universal programs immediately following intervention. Both selective and indicated prevention programs were more effective than universal programs at follow-up, even when the 2 studies with college students were excluded. Effect sizes for selective and indicated prevention programs tended to be small to moderate, both immediately postintervention and at an average follow-up of 6 months. Most effective interventions are more accurately described as treatment rather than prevention. Suggestions for future research include testing potential moderators (e.g., age, gender, anxiety, parental depression) and mechanisms, designing programs that are developmentally appropriate and gender and culturally sensitive, including longer follow-ups, and using multiple measures and methods to assess both symptoms and diagnoses. Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 74(3) : 401-15
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
Kratochvil, C., Emslie, G., Silva, S., McNulty, S., Walkup, J., Curry, J., Reinecke, M., et-al
OBJECTIVE: To examine the time to response for both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). METHOD: Adolescents (N = 439, ages 12 to 17 years) with major depressive disorder were randomized to fluoxetine (FLX), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), their combination (COMB), or pill placebo (PBO). Defining response as very much improved or much improved on the Clinical Global Impression- Improvement Scale (CGI-I), survival analyses using Cox proportional hazards models, and Kaplan-Meier curves were conducted to evaluate time to first response and time to stable response for subjects receiving pharmacotherapy (COMB, FLX, PBO) as well as for subjects receiving CBT (COMB, CBT). Direct comparisons between pharmacotherapy and CBT were not made because of differences in visit schedules. RESULTS: Based on pharmacotherapist CGI-I scores, COMB and FLX showed faster onset of benefit than PBO on time to response and time to stable response (p < .001), and COMB was faster than FLX on time to stable response (p = .034). The probability of sustained early response was approximately threefold greater for COMB than PBO, twofold greater for FLX than PBO, and 1.5-fold greater for COMB than FLX. On the psychotherapist CGI-I scores, both first response and stable response occurred faster in COMB than CBT (p < .001), with a probability of sustained early response approximately threefold greater for COMB than CBT. CONCLUSIONS: In the acute treatment of depressed adolescents, FLX and COMB accelerate response relative to PBO, and COMB accelerates response relative to CBT alone. Copyright 2006 copyright American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(12) : 1412-1418
- Year: 2006
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Psychological Interventions (any)
, Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
Kowalenko, N., Rapee, R. M., Simmons, J., Wignall, A., Hoge, R., Whitefield, K., Starling, J., Stonehouse, R., Baillie, A. J.
This article reports on the effectiveness of an early intervention program, 'Adolescents Coping with Emotions' (ACE), for depression in girls. ACE was assessed in a short-term wait-list control trial. In 1999, 882 students (aged 13-16 years) were screened using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). One hundred and seventy-nine students (63% female) who scored above the CDI cut-off (of 18) were offered the program and 143 (65% female) agreed to participate. On a school basis, participants were allocated to the intervention group (n = 76; 56% female) who commenced the program within one month, or to a wait-list control condition (control group, n = 50; 79% female) who commenced the ACE program after 10 weeks. Data analysis was conducted for 82 female participants. All students completed the CDI, Adolescent Coping Scale and Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale at pre- and post-intervention. The intervention group also completed a 6-month follow-up. At post-intervention, female ACE participants reported significantly reduced depressive symptoms and significantly improved coping skills compared with the control group. Using cognitive-behavioural and interpersonal techniques, the ACE program diminished depressive symptoms and increased coping skills in girls screening at-risk for depression. copyright 2005 SAGE Publications.
Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 10(4) : 493-507
- Year: 2005
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions