Psychological treatment of depressions in adolescents

Depressive disorders are only slightly less prevalent in adolescents than i n adults. Depression in adolescence is not a transient condition, but is as sociated with psychosocial deficits. Given this negative sequela, it would be beneficial to have effective treatments. While lagging behind, the psych ological treatment of adolescent depression has become a very active area. We have now several intervention programs available which show great overla p and include 'cognitive techniques','family orientation'; behavioral techn iques and educational elements. The purpose of this report is to bring this literature to the attention of clinicians and to summarize the key feature s of these interventions. In addition, the article also addresses areas wit h limited knowledge, future developments and further applications. Results of a meta-analysis of all available treatment studies with depressed adoles cents are presented and lead to the conclusion that greater adoption and us e of these (cognitive-behavioral) interventions of depressed adolescents is justified and quite promising.