Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to children and adolescents, however, the use of these drugs remains controversial. Medscape Pediatrics summaries a recent Lancet study that reviewed recent studies to determine whether there was a preferred antidepressant to treat depression in children aged 9-18 years. This meta-analysis of double-blind, randomized, controlled trials compared antidepressant drugs with either placebo or other antidepressants and ranked them accordingly. The authors conclude that only fluoxetine was significantly more effective than placebo, however, they noted that the overall quality of all antidepressant evidence in this patient population was low or very low.
Link to Lancet abstract and Medscape Pediatrics viewpoint (access free with site registration) (12/2016)
