Teen Depression can be successfully treated in Primary Care Setting

Depression can have a significant impact on teenagers, increasing their risk of suicide and drug use. Many teens experiencing depression have problems engaging in treatment. A new study looked at whether offering screening, treatment and support in a primary care setting would be successful in improving depressive symptoms in teens. “Really talking to teens to understand what they need and addressing it from their perspective makes a big difference in having them engage in care and improve.” Dr. Laura Richardson from Children’s Hospital and co-authors screened 101 depressed teenagers. 50 teens had an intervention with care managers in primary care, receiving either psychotherapy, anti-depressant medication or both. The other 51 teens sought mental health services through their health plans. “The intervention youth had significantly lower depressive symptoms at both 6 and 12 months. They had a 50 percent or more drop in their symptoms and depression remission meaning that their symptoms had remitted or were gone.” The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.