Controversies In The Pharmacotherapy Of Adolescent Depression

DISCUSSION: Moderate to severe depression should be treated with psychotherapy and/or fluoxetine, the best-supported medication, and treatment-resistant adolescents should always receive combined treatment with psychotherapy. Suicidal ideation, particularly with a plan, should be actively explored before starting an antidepressant, as a reason for the closest monitoring. Emergent suicidality after starting antidepressants, as well as antidepressant-related activation, should also be closely monitored and may lead to antidepressant discontinuation. Although no response to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy may occur in up to 40% of depressed adolescents, possible predictors or mediators of poorer response in adolescents are uncertain, and only a few studies support possible treatment strategies. Finally, studies exploring the efficacy of antidepressants in specific depression subtypes, i.e., based on prevalent psychopathological dimensions (apathy, withdrawal, impulsivity), are warranted.PMID:35619257 | DOI:10.2174/1381612828666220526150153
Source: Current Pharmaceutical Design - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Source Type: research