Citation

March JS, Vitiello B. Am. J. Psychiatry 2009; 166(10): 1118-1123.

Affiliation

Division of Neurosciences Medicine, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA. john.march@duke.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.08101606

PMID

19723786

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this report was to summarize the key clinical messages from the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). METHODS: TADS is a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the relative effectiveness of fluoxetine, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and the combination of fluoxetine plus CBT across acute treatment, maintenance treatment, and naturalistic follow-up periods among adolescents with major depressive disorder. RESULTS: Findings revealed that 6 to 9 months of combined fluoxetine plus CBT should be the modal treatment from a public health perspective as well as to maximize benefits and minimize harms for individual patients. CONCLUSION: The combination of fluoxetine and CBT appears to be superior to both CBT monotherapy and fluoxetine monotherapy as a treatment for moderate to severe major depressive disorder in adolescents.

Language: en