Updates in treatment of depression in children and adolescents

To examine recent evidence that informs the treatment of depression in children and adolescents.

There are no new leads in the prevention and early intervention of depression in children and adolescents. For acute treatment of major depressive disorder, talking therapies are moving increasingly to internet-based platforms. Family therapy may have a slight edge over individual psychotherapy in the short-term. Patients with severe depression with endogenous features have a more robust response to pharmacotherapy than do patients with mild-to-moderate depression. Findings in relation to reward sensitivity and changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels contradict research conducted in adults, suggesting developmental differences in the mechanisms underlying depression. Ketamine infusion could have a role for adolescents with treatment refractory depression. There was no new evidence concerning relapse prevention.

Most new findings have been concerned with moderators and mediators of treatment.