Over half the teenagers who were recently observed in a study published in JAMA have shown considerable improvement overcoming depression. This is great news in the face of the fact that many teenagers don’t respond well to anti-depressant medications, such as SSRIs, and become desperate for a solution. The study showed that a switch in medication combined with cognitive behavioral therapy produced a greater than 50% improvement ratio in teenage patients. The study was conducted at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and led by Dr. Graham Emslie, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at UT. He is also chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Children’s Medical Center Dallas.
“Switch treatments!” seems to be the rallying cry to doctors who are experiencing less than satisfactory results with their teenage patients. Staying on the same medication when the teenager is still suffering is not the always the wisest choice.
The study observed 334 patients who experienced moderate to severe depression for two years, many with suicidal ideas. 55 percent of them responded when their medication was switched and cognitive behavioral therapy was added. Previous studies show that 40 percent of teenagers who suffer from depression don’t respond to their first drug treatment.
The positive news from this study at UT was echoed in another study at the same institution called STAR*D which stands for Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression. It was based on the results for adult sufferers and showed that one in roughly three adults who don’t achieve remission of depressive symptoms can find success by changing to a second medication. This suggests the disease is very similar in adults.

Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center