A Parentsmedguide PDF
A Parentsmedguide PDF
A Parentsmedguide PDF
Psychomotor agitation/retardation Difficulty sitting still, pacing, or very
slowed down with little spontaneous
movement
.
Fatigue or loss of energy Persistently tired, feels lazy
Low self-esteem; feelings of guilt Self-critical; blaming oneself for things
beyond ones control; no one likes me,
everyone hates me; feels stupid
Decreased ability to concentrate; indecisive Decline in performance in school due to
decreased motivation and ability to
concentrate; frequent absences
Recurrent suicidal ideation or behavior Frequent thinking and talking about
death; writing about death; giving away
favorite toys or belongings
Other disorders that fall in the spectrum of mood disorders include dysthymia and bipolar
disorder. Dysthymia is a disorder that usually has less severe symptoms than major
depression, but it is more chronic and persistent. Instead of shifting into well-defined
periods of depression, the child with dysthymia lives in an ongoing joyless and gray
world.
Another mood disorder is bipolar disorder. It is very important to recognize and diagnose
bipolar disorder because it may first appear as an episode of depression. In bipolar
disorder, periods of depression may alternate with periods of mania. During these periods
of mania the child will show unnaturally high levels of energy, and/or irritability. If
there is a family history of bipolar disorder, it should be discussed with your childs
physician as your child may require special treatment considerations. Some children and
adolescents may develop mania without a family history of bipolar disorder.
Further information about bipolar disorder in children and adolescents is available on the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry website:
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/bipolar_disorder_in_children_and_teens
What are the treatments for depression?
There are a number of different treatments for depression. These include various forms
of psychotherapy, medication, working with the family or a combination of these.
4
Treatment can also include work with the childs school and/or having the child get
involved with peer support or self-help groups.
Your childs physician should develop a comprehensive treatment plan that deals with
your specific situation, your childs needs, and the recommended treatment approaches.
Your physician should also fully discuss with you and your child the risks and benefits of
the treatment plan.
Are antidepressant medications effective for the treatment of child/adolescent
depression?
Yes, antidepressant medications can be effective in relieving the symptoms of depression
for some children and adolescents. One antidepressant--fluoxetine, or Prozaca medicine
in the category of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, has been approved
by the FDA for treating depression in children 8 years of age and older. Escitalopram, or
Lexapro has also been approved by the FDA for treating adolescents 12 years of age and
older. Your physician may prescribe other antidepressant medications as well. You
should know that prescribing an antidepressant that has not been approved by the FDA
for use with child and adolescent patients (referred to as off-label use or prescribing) is
common and consistent with general clinical practice. Atypical antipsychotics, however,
are not approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression in children and adolescents
and are not considered appropriate for first-line treatment. As generally used, tricyclic
antidepressants (e.g. imipramine, amitriptyline) have not been shown to be effective for
pediatric depression and they should not be used as the first treatment.
About 60 percent of children and adolescents will respond to initial treatment with
medication. Of those who dont, a significant number will respond to another medication
and/or to the addition of a form of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy
(CBT).
An important study--the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS)
funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and published in 2004
examined three different treatments for adolescents with moderate to severe depression.
One treatment used the antidepressant medication fluoxetine, or Prozac.
Another effective treatment used CBT. CBT helps a patient recognize and change
negative patterns of thinking and behavior that are associated with depression.
The third approach used a combination of medication and CBT.
Each of these treatments was compared to taking a placebo or sugar pill. After 12 weeks
of treatment, 71 percent of the patients who received the combination of medication and
CBT were much improved. This combined treatment was nearly twice as good in
5
relieving depression as taking a placebo. About 35% of people who took a placebo
showed improvement and 43% of those who received psychotherapy improved. In those
who received medication alone, 61% improved. Combined treatment also resulted in
better functioning and quality of life. It is the preferred treatment for speedier responses
across a broad range of outcomes such as remission and recovery of function.
(1,2)
Although all three treatment approaches reduced the frequency of suicidal thinking and
behavior, fluoxetine treatment alone was associated with increased suicidal thoughts and
behavior when compared to treatment with placebo or psychotherapy alone. However,
after three months of treatment, the number of young people experiencing such thoughts
and behaviors dropped substantially. There were no completed suicides by any of the
adolescents who received one of the three treatments.
This research shows that medication can be an important and valuable treatment for
depression in children and adolescents. Importantly, combined treatment may also protect
against suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors in patients taking an antidepressant. This
effect, however, has not been shown in all the studies that have tested combination
treatment against medication treatment alone.
(3,4,5)
Are treatments other than medication available for children with depression?
Various forms of psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and
interpersonal therapy (IPT) are helpful for treating mild to moderate forms of depression.
CBT tries to help a patient recognize and change negative patterns of thinking and
behavior that may contribute to depression. IPT guides the patient to problem solving
approaches to damaged interpersonal relationships that can both cause and result from
depression.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
Depressed people think in ways that contribute to their depression and they avoid
activities that could reduce their depression. This can make depressive symptoms worse.
CBT tries to help patients recognize their negative thoughts and help them to participate
in activities that can reduce their symptoms. CBT uses techniques such as problem
solving, managing negative emotions, and improving social effectiveness.
CBT has been studied more with depressed adolescents than with depressed children.
Several of these studies have shown that CBT is superior to some other forms of
psychotherapy in relieving depression. One study that compared treatment with CBT and
treatment with medication showed that while medication worked faster, by 16 weeks
those treated with CBT were doing just as well as those treated with medication. Most
studies have found that for more severe or ongoing depression, the combination of CBT
and medication is the fastest and most effective approach.
CBT may be particularly helpful for depressed adolescents who have other psychiatric
problems such as anxiety disorders. It may not work as well for those with a history of
trauma or abuse. It also does not work as well if the childs parent is currently depressed,
6
unless that parent is also treated. Older adolescents seem to do better with a treatment
approach that is based on the treatment of adults.
CBT has been used with younger children, but mostly to prevent depression or to treat
children with milder symptoms. Because CBT is helpful for children with anxiety
disorders, it may--with some modifications--also help younger children with depression.
CBT requires specific training. If a therapist presents him or herself as a CBT therapist,
parents should ask what type of CBT training the therapist has had.
Will my childs depression pass without treatment?
If depression is untreated, it often lasts from six to nine months, an entire school year for
most children. But, if it is not treated it can have serious consequences. It increases the
risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, adolescent pregnancy, and suicidal thoughts
and behaviors. Children are also likely to have ongoing problems in school, at home, and
with their friends. Also, the child runs the risk of developing a chronic and more difficult-
to-treat depression. Once a child or adolescent has one period of depression he or she is
more likely to get depressed again. For further information, AACAPs Practice
Parameters on Depression may be accessed at the website:
http://www.aacap.org/galleries/PracticeParameters/Vol%2046%20Nov%202007.pdf
How long should my child continue taking antidepressant medication?
Even when a patient is in remission (having no or minimal depressive symptoms) the
same treatment should be continued for another 6 to 9 months. This is to help prevent
relapse. This recommendation is based on a National Institute of Mental Health
sponsored study of depressed children and adolescents. Patients in this study who
improved after 12 weeks of fluoxetine treatment and who continued their treatment
relapsed less often than patients who were switched to placebo. (Forty-two percent of the
fluoxetine treatment group had a return of depressive symptoms compared to 69% for the
placebo group).
(6)
If depressed teens who improved with fluoxetine continued on a
combination of fluoxetine plus CBT, even a higher proportion of them remained well
compared to those who got fluoxetine alone.
(7)
Because the risk of relapse remains high even with continued antidepressant treatment, it
is very important for patients, families, and doctors to see if depressive symptoms begin
again after remission, and to take appropriate steps if they do.
Some young people may need treatment for longer than 6-9 months. Youth who have a
family history of mood disorders, severe and complex episodes of depression, a slow and
difficult response to treatment, a history of chronic depression, and/or multiple depressive
episodes may benefit from continuing treatment for 1-2 years or more. In one study, 38%
of depressed adolescents who were in remission, but who continued to receive the SSRI
sertraline (Zoloft), for an additional year remained well. None of the adolescents in
remission who stopped the medication and received a placebo instead stayed well.
(8)
We
dont know yet which patients are most likely to benefit from longer treatment. Your
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childs doctor will work with you and your child to determine the best time to stop
antidepressant treatment.
What can be done if my child does not improve with medication?
Most young people with depression (about 60 percent) will improve when treated with an
SSRI antidepressant. But about 40% of them will not improve when first treated in this
way.
The Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) study examined
other treatment options for adolescents who do not get better when first treated with an
SSRI. Four different treatment groups were studied. One group received a SSRI that was
different from the first one they tried, the second group received an antidepressant
medication that was not an SSRI (venlafaxine-Effexor), the third group received the
different SSRI combined with cognitive behavioral (CBT) therapy, and the fourth group,
the non-SSRI medication and CBT. The teenagers who were switched to another
medication combined with CBT psychotherapy showed the most improvement. The
combined medication-CBT treatment was also more effective than medication-alone
treatments. A switch to another SSRI was just as effective as a switch to venlafaxine, but
with fewer side effects.
(9)
These results are encouraging for adolescents who do not initially respond to treatment
with an SSRI. Their symptoms may improve if they are switched to another SSRI
combined with CBT. There may be less improvement if they are switched to just another
antidepressant. Before trying a different treatment, though, it is important to give enough
time to see if the initial treatment works, at least 6-8 weeks.
If there is not enough of a positive response to the first treatment, changing medication,
adding psychotherapy, or combining both should be considered. For many adolescents,
the best treatment will be a combination of individual psychotherapy and medication.
Further information on the Treatment of SSRI-resistant Depression in Adolescents is
available on the NIMH website:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/trials/practical/tordia/treatment-of-ssri-resistant-depression-in-
adolescents-tordia.shtml
Do antidepressants increase the risk of suicide?
Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are more common during adolescence than at any other
time, but suicide is more common among adults. In any year about 16 percent of high
school students think about suicide and about 3-8 percent show suicidal behaviors.
Fortunately, very few of them commit suicide. Children and adolescents with depression
are much more likely to think about suicide and to attempt it than other children.
Although not all suicidal children have depression, untreated depression increases the risk
of suicide.
8
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) described an increase in reports of suicidal
thoughts and/or behaviors in children and adolescents taking antidepressants. But, there
were no suicides in the cases they studied. Autopsies of teenagers who have committed
suicide show that very few of them had traces of an antidepressant, making the link
between antidepressant use and suicide even weaker.
Between 1992 and 2001, there was a large increase in the number of adolescents being
prescribed SSRI antidepressants. But, during that time the rate of suicide among
American youth ages 1019 actually dropped by more than 25 percent. This was the first
time in nearly 50 years that the suicide rate declined in young people.
What factors other than depression increase the risk of suicide in children and
youth?
There are risk factors for suicide besides depression, although depression is the most
common diagnosis in adolescents with completed suicide. Often, particularly in boys,
completed suicide is associated with depression, conduct disorder, and substance abuse.
Sometimes, boys who commit suicide have the latter two without a mood disorder.
Anxiety disorders are also common in youth who commit suicide, but almost always in
combination with a mood disorder. Depression alone is a bigger contributor to suicide in
girls than in boys.
Youth who commit suicide often have difficulty managing their emotions and they
commonly make impulsive and risky decisions. Other risk factors for completed suicide
include having access to a gun in the house, having made a previous suicide attempt with
high suicidal intent and having combinations of a mood disorder along with conduct
disorder or substance abuse.
(10)
Repeated suicide attempts increase the risk for a completed suicide. Parents should be
very alert to repeated attempts. Suicide attempts that are discovered by accident are very
serious. They suggest that the young person had a strong wish to die and timed their
suicide attempt to decrease the chance of it being discovered.
Another group of teenagers who commit suicide appear to be hard working, careful, and
popular. They may do well at their studies and in sports. Often, they appear to be
perfectionists. Even though they perform well, they may become very anxious and
pessimistic before taking a test or before important events. These young people may be
9
suffering from an undiagnosed anxiety disorder. They are afraid of doing badly and
before a feared event they may go without sleep and seem very preoccupied. Because
they seem to perform so well, their death by suicide is often deeply puzzling to their
family, teachers, and friends.
Treatment for children and adolescents with depression must include frequent monitoring
for suicidal thoughts or behavior, especially during the first 6 weeks of treatment, when
suicidal events are most likely to occur. Any child or adolescent who admits to thoughts
about suicide or who attempts suicide should receive a comprehensive psychiatric
assessment, which should be included in an overall treatment plan. Parents should not be
in the position of deciding whether their childs suicidal thoughts or actions pose an
imminent danger.
The death of a child by suicide is always a tragedy, but it is important to remember that
suicidal thoughts and actions lessen with appropriate treatment. Early recognition and
access to effective treatment are essential keys to reducing suicide in children and youth.
Since depression is often a major contributor to completed suicide, it is worth considering
treating depression with antidepressant medication particularly if combined with
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), since the combination treatment results in the fastest
and most complete response.
Does talking about suicide increase the likelihood that a child will hurt him/herself?
Any expression of suicidal thoughts or feelings by a child or adolescent is a clear signal
of distress and should be taken very seriously by health care professionals, parents,
family members, teachers, and others.
When a young person talks about suicidal thoughts, there is an opportunity to discuss the
need to take special precautions and/or protective measures. Any treatment approach that
increases discussion of previously unspoken suicidal thoughts or impulses is helpful. It is
much more worrisome and dangerous for a young person with depression to hide the fact
that he or she is having suicidal thoughts. The data demonstrate that asking a youth
about suicidal ideas does not increase the risk for suicide. Indeed, such questions can
help identify adolescents at risk so that appropriate interventions can be implemented.
(11)
How can I help monitor my child during treatment?
Since some children and teens may have physical and/or emotional reactions to
antidepressants, parents should be attentive to signs of increased anxiety, agitation, panic,
aggressiveness, or impulsivity. Your child may experience involuntary restlessness, or an
unwarranted elation or energy accompanied by fast, driven speech and unrealistic plans
or goals. These reactions are more common at the start of treatment, although they can
occur at any point in treatment. If you see these symptoms, consult your doctor
immediately. It may be necessary to adjust the dosage, change to a different medication,
or to stop using medication.
In a small number of instances, a child or adolescent might have extreme reactions to
antidepressants as a result of genetic, allergic, drug interactions, or other unknown
factors. Whenever you observe any unexpected symptoms in your child, immediately
10
The FDA did not ban the use of antidepressant medications for youth. The purpose of the
warning was to alert physicians and parents to watch children and adolescents to see if
their symptoms got worse, or if they showed unusual changes in behavior. The FDA also
specifically said that depression and other serious mental illnesses are the most
important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions.
Why did the FDA issue a black box warning?
In 2004, the FDA reviewed 23 clinical trials involving more than 4,300 child and
adolescent patients. These patients received any of nine different antidepressant
medications. No suicides occurred in any of these studies.
All of the studies the FDA reviewed measured suicidal thinking and behavior by using
"Adverse Event Reports." These report the spontaneous sharing of thoughts about
suicide or potentially dangerous behavior made by a patient (or reported by the patients
parent). Such adverse events were reported by approximately 4 percent of all children
and adolescents taking medication, compared with 2 percent of those taking a placebo.
A more recent study found that the risk was even smalleraround 3% in those on
medication and 2% in those on placebo. Most of these events were increases in suicidal
thoughts. Only a few were actual suicide attempts, and NONE were suicide completions.
12)
Through careful monitoring, the development of a safety plan, and the combination of
medication with psychotherapy, the risks for increased suicidal thoughts can be managed.
For moderate to severe depression, there is benefit in the use of medication because of a
higher rate of relief, and more complete relief, from depressive symptoms than not using
any medication.
Since the FDA issued the black box warning, there has been a decline in
antidepressant use, but an increase in completed suicides in adolescents in both the
US and the Netherlands. Although it is not yet clear how these trends may be related,
this has been the first increase in the adolescent suicide rate reported in over a decade.
(13)
Can my child continue taking prescribed antidepressant medication?
If your child is being treated with a medication and is doing well, he or she should
continue with the treatment for at least 6-9 months under the guidance of the prescribing
physician. Research suggests that any increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors is
most likely to occur during the first three months of treatment, with some studies
showing that the risk is highest in the first 3-6 weeks. Teens especially should know
about this possibility, and the patient, parents, and physician should discuss a safety plan
for example, whom the child should immediately contact if thoughts of suicide occur.
No patient should abruptly stop taking antidepressant medications. Suddenly stopping
12
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APPENDIX
List of Disclosures