NeuroTalk Support Groups - Article: Screening for Child and Adolescent Depression in Primary Care Settings

http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...ull/123/4/e716
PEDIATRICS Vol. 123 No. 4 April 2009, pp. e716-e735 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2415)

Screening for Child and Adolescent Depression in Primary Care Settings: A Systematic Evidence Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force

Selvi B. Williams, MD, MPH, Elizabeth A. O'Connor, PhD, Michelle Eder, PhD and Evelyn P. Whitlock, MD, MPH

Quote:

CONCLUSIONS
Data describing screening among children are inadequate. Effects of treatment among children also need to be understood better, because data indicate that age is a modifier of treatment effects. Treatment of depressed youth with SSRIs is associated with a small increased risk of suicidality and, therefore, should only be considered if judicious clinical monitoring is possible. Specific treatment should be based on individual patients' needs and on mental health treatment guidelines.