What Happens If Antidepressant Medications Are Not Effective For Pediatric Depression?
Question: What happens if antidepressant medications are not effective for pediatric depression?
Answer: If the antidepressant medications are not effective for the treatment of depression in children or adolescents, one needs to keep in mind that there are a number of treatments in addition to medications that can be helpful. These include various psychotherapies -- cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, also what's called psychodynamic therapy or more open-ended therapy.
Sometimes one wants to look at interventions that could be made in the environment either with family counseling, with school changes. One might also try different medications and re-entertain the possibility that there's a different diagnosis. In most instances when children or adolescents don't respond to antidepressant treatment, it's helpful to talk to a colleague or get another opinion.
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