Nonsomatic treatment of depression

Clinicians who treat depressed children and adolescents are faced with substantial challenges. Although to date the results of controlled psychotherapy trials with depressed youths offer limited guidance regarding choice of treatment, some general guidelines can be culled from the available data. Interventions or elements of therapies that are structured and directed towards cognitive behavioral or relationship issues show promise for the treatment of juvenile depression. Group interventions seem to be as effective as the more traditional individual therapy. Parental participation in empiric treatment trials of pediatric depression has been limited to either separate parent groups as an adjunct or to family therapy,but for various practical and clinical reasons it may be wise to involve parents directly. Parents may be critical to the success of interventions with depressed children and should be regarded as potentially important agents of change.