Medication for Kids With Depression

We’re seeing a disturbing rise in the number of depressed teenagers. One reason is that kids often develop depression as a result of their struggles with other challenges, especially anxiety and ADHD. And the frustrations and difficulties of the last couple of years have plunged a lot of teenagers who were just getting by into serious distress. As Sarper Taskiran, MD, a psychiatrist at the Child Mind Institute puts it, “Covid really did a number on these kids.”

That’s why we’re taking a close look this week at treatment for depression. In a new article, Dr. Taskiran walks us through how treatment with antidepressant medication works for children and teenagers, including why it sometimes takes several tries to find the right antidepressant, how long kids should keep taking it, and what should happen when it’s time to stop. We also look at types of therapy that are effective for depression — alone or in combination with medication — and we offer tips for working well with your child’s clinician.