[Cognitive psychotherapy for depression in adolescents: a new therapeutic perspective]

The nosological concept of depression in adolescents is still relatively poorly understood. Clinical expression varies greatly although behavioural disorders and suicidal acts are frequent signs. As an alternative to drug therapy, cognitive psychotherapy appears to be a promising approach offering a structured therapeutic tool applicable within a short period of time. We report the case of a 18-year-old girl who suffered from chronic depression and had attempted suicide several times in spite of previous hospitalization and psychoanalytic therapy. She was successfully treated with 16 sessions of cognitive psychotherapy conducted according to the Beck method in combination with fluvoxamine which had been insufficient given alone. The different phases of the therapeutic approach are discussed during hospitalization then as an out patient. Cognitive psychotherapy is technically feasible treatment for depression in the adolescent and has been demonstrated to be effective in our case.