Efficacy of treatments for depression in children and adolescents

Abstract

Depression is a highly complex mental disorder that for many years was believed to be absent in children and adolescents. It is now accepted that depression not only exists in this age group, but also is a major mental health problem (Weller & Weller, 2000a). Research suggests that the prevalence of depression in Australian children and adolescents is around 14% (Boyd, Kostanski, Gullone, Ollendick, & Shek, 2000). As depression appears to be highly prevalent, it is essential that efficacious treatments are identified, and that effective treatment strategies are established that best alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. In light of this need, this article details the cri..