The quality of evidence is downgraded by study limitations (selective reporting).
A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 9 studies with a total of 882 subjects. The patients were children and adolescents with depression. The interventions included psychological, social and pharmacological interventions and the outcome of interest was the recurrence of depressive disorders. All trials were performed in outpatient settings.
Antidepressant medication reduced the depression recurrence rate by one third compared to placebo treatment. One trial that compared a combination of psychological therapy and medication to medication alone favored a combination approach over medication alone, however this result did not reach statistical significance (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.06 to 1.15).
| Outcome | Number of participants (trials) | Antidepressant medication | Intervention:Placebo | Effect size (95% CI) |
| Depression recurrence | 164(3) | 41% | 67% | OR 0.34 (0.18 to 0.64) |
| Suicidalbehavior | 164(3) | 12/1000 | 13/1000 | OR 1.02(0.14 to 7.39) |
Date of latest search: 2011-08-11
Primary/Secondary Keywords