Fluoxetine and psychotherapy effective for treatment of depressed teenagers

The combination of the antidepressant medication fluoxetine and cognitive behaviour therapy appears more effective than either strategy alone for the long-term treatment of adolescents with depression, according to a new report from the US. The research team randomly assigned 439 adolescents with depression to one of the following treatments– fluoxetine alone; cognitive behaviour therapy; and a combination of the two– or to placebo for 12 weeks. At that point, patients receiving placebo were offered active treatment and the remaining 327 patients were asked to continue their assigned therapy through 36 weeks. {openx:269} Patients receiving cognitive behavioural therapy had fifteen one-hour…