2.4 Use of Psychopharmacology and Neurotherapeutics in Treatment-Resistant Adolescent Depression

Abstract

MDD is a serious illness affecting 1 in 5 adolescents in their lifetime. In positive pharmacologic trials of fluoxetine and escitalopram, response rates ranged from 63.6% on escitalopram to 56% on fluoxetine. Other SSRIs had similar response rates to the active agent but higher placebo response rates. This response also means that between 40% and 50% of youth do not respond to their first antidepressant. The second treatment trials discussed in this lecture include switching, augmentation, and neurotherapeutics as options in treating youth who do not respond to the initial agent.