Dr. Benazon (seated) is leading a teen depression study with Marla Bartoi and Jennifer Ivey.

Adolescent depression is more prevalent than ever, however scientific literature about depression focuses almost exclusively on adults. New research shows that depression onset is occurring earlier in life, making it extremely important to determine which treatments work best for depression in youth and adolescents.

Wayne State University is one of 10 sites across the United States participating in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS), which is sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. The study offers free treatment for up to nine months for people 12-17 years of age, who are experiencing symptoms of depression. Teens will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups:

Medication only: Prozac or a placebo will be administered and closely monitored. Those teens who get the placebo and do not improve will be advised after 12 weeks and can then choose an alternate treatment for the remainder of the study.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) only: CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on changing peoples’ thoughts and behaviors that contribute to their mood.

Combination treatment: Some patients will be treated with both medication and cognitive behavioral therapy.

TADS is the first systematic study to look at the advantages and disadvantages of administering the above treatments alone or in combination in the case of depressed adolescents. By documenting outcomes of various treatment options, researchers hope that effective care for depressed adolescents will become a standardized therapeutic option.

Nili Benazon, PhD, who is the principal investigator at the WSU School of Medicine, says she is pleased to see that treatment is becoming more widely available for this problem that affects 1 in 20 kids. “Childhood-onset depression predicts depression in adults, so it is to our advantage to treat depression most effectively as early as possible,” she said. “Although mental illness poses substantial health care burdens on teens and their families, the human costs may be even greater than the economic costs. And of these costs, none is greater than teenage suicide.”

Wayne State University will be enrolling patients over the next two years. The nine-month treatment phase will be followed by a 12-month evaluation period during which patients will continue to be assessed for long-term outcomes. The study’s co-investigators include Drs. David Rosenberg and Marla Bartoi. Patients and/or referring physicians can call Jennifer Ivey at (810) 558-8900 for more information.