Depression in adolescence - what works best

At any one time 5% of adolescents are suffering from major depression.This can lead to poor health, an increased burden on families and, in the worst cases, suicide. In 1999 the National Institute of Mental Health in the U.S. set up the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) to compare the effectiveness of treatments with drugs (fluoxetine hydrochloride), cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and a combination of the two. The latest study from TADS looked at 327 patients from 12-17 and found that rates of response were 73% for combination therapy, 62% for fluoxetine and 48% for CBT at week twelve, rising to 86%, 81% and 81% respectively after thirty-six weeks. Thoughts of suicide decreased with treatment but were more common (14.7%) in patients taking fluoxetine than those receiving combination therapy (8.4%) or CBT (6.3%)

The TADS team - The treatment for adolescents with depression study (TADS) : long-term effectiveness and safety outcomes Archives of General Psychiatry October 2007, 64(10), 1132-1144