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Cited by 68Mental Health Treatment and AccessChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentTreatment of Major Depression

Depression treatment during outpatient visits by U.S. children and adolescents

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Ma, Jun, Lee, Ky-Van, Stafford, Randall S.·2005·Journal of Adolescent Health
DOI 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.07.012
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Abstract

Purpose Depression affects approximately 2-8% of all children and adolescents, and treatment of depression in children and adolescents has been the center of recent serious debates. We examined national trends in depression visits and treatment among outpatients aged 7 to 17 years.Methods We analyzed visit-based data between 1995 and 2002 in two national ambulatory care surveys.Results The number of visits by children and adolescents during which depression was reported more than doubled from 1995-1996 (1.44 million) to 2001-2002 (3.22 million). The proportion of these visits during which antidepressants were prescribed rose slightly from 47% in 1995-1996 to 52% in 2001-2002, whereas the proportion during which psychotherapy or mental health counseling was provided declined from 83% to 68%. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) represented 76% of all antidepressants prescribed in 1995-1996 and 81% in 2001-2002. In absolute terms, SSRIs were reported in 1.35 million visits in 2001-2002, reflecting a 2.6-fold increase from 1995-1996. Fluoxetine was prescribed in 207,914 visits in 1995-1996 and increased 100% to 415,580 visits in 2001-2002. The use of sertraline increased by 62% to 345,576 visits and paroxetine by 269% to 279,275 visits.Conclusions We observed a declining trend in the provision of psychotherapy/mental health counseling during outpatient visits by children and adolescents diagnosed with depression. Although the likelihood of receiving antidepressants remained essentially unchanged, the number of children and adolescents whose visits involved prescription of antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, has increased markedly through 2002. Although fluoxetine remained the most commonly prescribed, other SSRIs were increasingly prescribed through 2002. These trends raise concerns regarding the widespread off-label use of antidepressants lacking reliable evidence of safety and efficacy for use in children and adolescents.

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  1. [14]14. Zell ER, McCaig LF, Kupronis BA, et al. A comparison of the National Disease and Therapeutic Index and the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to evaluate antibiotic usage. In: Proceedings of the Section on Survey Research Methods American Statistical Asso- ciation; 2000. Alexandria, VA: 2000:840 -5.
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Authors
Ma, J., Lee, K.-V., & Stafford, R. S.
Affiliations
Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Ma, Jun
  • Stafford, Randall S.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Adolescent Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2005-12
Volume
37
Issue
6
Pages
434-442
ISSN
1054-139X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.07.012
OpenAlex
W2045245768
Cited by
68
References
22
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 11
FWCI
8.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Adolescent Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R01 HS11313)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
Keywords
childhood depression, adolescent depression, antidepressant prescribing, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, outpatient visits, off-label drug use, treatment trends
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Antidepressive Agents, Child, Counseling, Depressive Disorder, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Office Visits, Outpatients, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Product Labeling, Psychotherapy, Retrospective Studies, Incidence, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

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