Combination of Antidepressants, Therapy is Most Effective for Teens with Depression

A recently published study conducted by the National Institute of Health's Mental Health division indicates combination therapy with antidepressant medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy is more effective in treating depression in teens than either treatment alone.

The Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) included 439 adolescents with major depressive disorder.

Major depression is a mental illness in which individuals feel sad, hopeless, helpless, worthless, irritable, and/or guilty. Individuals with depression often have changes in their appetites and sleeping patterns. They may not enjoy activities they once enjoyed and they may have suicidal thoughts.

The teens in this study received one of three treatments: cognitive-behavioral therapy alone, antidepressant therapy with the antidepressant Prozac (fluoxetine) alone, or cognitive-behavioral therapy and antidepressant therapy together.

The trial lasted for 36 weeks and adolescents were evaluated throughout the course of the study.

The researchers discovered at 18 weeks that teens given combination therapy with fluoxetine and cognitive-behavioral therapy had the most improvement in depressive symptoms. While teens given combination therapy had an 85% response rate, those given cognitive-behavioral therapy had a 65% response rate, and those given fluoxetine alone had a 69% response rate.

The researchers also discovered that at 36 weeks combination therapy was still more beneficial to depressed teens than either cognitive-behavioral therapy or antidepressant therapy alone. More specifically, teens given combination therapy had an 86% response rate while those given either fluoxetine or cognitive-behavioral therapy alone had an 81% response rate. Thus, teens receiving combination therapy had a slightly higher response rate than those receiving either therapy alone, though the differences between the groups at 36 weeks were not statistically significant.