Child and adolescent depression intervention overview: what works, for whom and how well?

The authors review the currently available evidence-based treatments of child and adolescent major depressive disorder. Medication monotherapy, namely with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, is supported by large clinical trials in adolescents. For mild to moderate depression, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy are reasonable options as monotherapies. There is also evidence that the combination of medication and CBT is superior to medication alone for accelerating the pace of treatment response and remission, despite some negative studies. Response, remission, and recurrence rates after acute treatment and during long-term follow-ups are also presented and discussed.