Korean Pharmacological Treatment Guideline for Child-Adolescent Depression: The Efficacy and Choice of Antidepressant / 대한정신약물학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this guideline was to suggest recommendations for appropriate use of antidepressants in the child-adolescent depression. The differences of efficacy among antidepressants were evaluated. METHODS: Four kinds of reliable guidelines for the treatments of child-adolescent depression had been selected, and evidences and recommendations were extracted by the executive committee under the peer review. All the process was applied to the Manual for Guideline Adaptation version 2.0 by National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency. RESULTS: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) could be considered for the treatments of moderate to severe child-adolescent depression. Among SSRIs, fluoxetine, sertraline, and escitalopram were recommended as having antidepressant efficacy compared with placebo, while paroxetine, venlafaxine, and tricyclic antidepressant were not recommended owing to lack of evidence. Another recommendation was to use combined treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy. CONCLUSION: This guideline, which was made through former and strict process of guideline adaptation, would contribute toward improving the quality of child-adolescent depression treatment by providing useful recommendations for the choice of antidepressant.