Depression in children: Psychotherapy as effective as antidepressants

More adolescents with depressive symptoms

The number of 15- to 17-year-olds newly developing depression during the pandemic rose loudly DAK Children and Youth Report in 2020 by eight percent compared to the previous year. Also nationwide COPSY study at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf showed an increase in mental health problems and depressive symptoms in winter 2020/2021 compared to the time before the pandemic. Loud Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists the proportion of children and adolescents with depressive symptoms is now 15 percent.

In general, about 1 percent of children and 5 percent of adolescents suffer from a depressive disorder. The risk of developing depression increases after puberty. Teenage girls are affected about twice as often as boys.

You can do it without antidepressants

What helps the affected children and young people? This is what scientists at Danube University Krems did on behalf of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined.

They wanted to know what psychotherapy brings to the treatment of depression in children and adolescents. To do this, the researchers evaluated 13 reviews with data from 150 studies. The result: Antidepressants do not have to be used for treatment. Certain forms of psychotherapy help young people just as well.

Two forms of therapy alleviate depressive symptoms

The researchers compared different forms of psychotherapy: cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic and interpersonal psychotherapy.

Two forms of therapy showed positive effects: The cognitive Verhaltenstherapie and the inter­personelle Psycho­therapie. Both can relieve depressive symptoms in children and adolescents and perform no worse than treatment with antidepressants. Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to change stressful thought patterns. Interpersonal psychotherapy helped those affected to deal with interpersonal conflicts. According to the team of scientists, the study situation on psychodynamic psychotherapy was not sufficient to conclusively assess the effectiveness.

Green environment can empower children

Scientists are also researching which factors influence the development of mental illnesses. Researchers at the Danish University of Aarhus found out that children who grow up in the countryside or near green spaces have a risk of mental illness that is up to 55 percent lower than children who grow up without a green environment. The researchers compared health data from around 900,000 Danes with landscape photographs from Denmark from 1985 to 2013.

Depression more common in densely built-up areas

It showed that those who grew up in densely built-up areas up to the age of ten suffered from depression and low mood more often as adults than their peers who grew up in greener areas. “A green environment can promote periods of relaxation, physical activity and social contacts,” say the authors. Rest also strengthens mental development, less air pollution strengthens the immune system. The researchers appeal to urban planners to work towards more greenery and nature in cities.