CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION AWARENESS DAY IS MAY 9TH!!

FEBRUARY 2008: AFFIRMATION OF COMBINATION TREATMENT "If you haven't had a good response with antidepressants, definitely add cognitive behavioral therapy. Having them work together is probably the most beneficial," says Dr. Graham Emslie, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at UT Southwestern, Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Children's Medical Center Dallas, and Principal Investigator of a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (source: Science Daily, Feb 28, 2008).

FEBRUARY 2008: BLOOD TEST FOR BIPOLAR? According to a study published in the journal of Molecular Psychiatry, scientists may be closer to creating a blood test for Bipolar Disorder and other mood disorders. (source: WebMD, Feb 25,2008).

MAY 2007: FDA EXPANDS BLACK BOX WARNING ON ANTIDEPRESSANTS The Food and Drug Administration said May 2nd that it was expanding a "black box" warning on antidepressants to caution that the drugs appear to increase the risk of suicidal thinking in young adults up to age 25.

APRIL 2007: BENEFITS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS OUTWEIGH THE RISK OF SUICIDAL THOUGHTS OR ACTIONSPublished in the Journal of the American Medical Association after reviewing covered data on 5310 children and teenagers. Consult your physician and therapist about the study.

AUGUST 2006: SELECTIVE AND INDICATED DEPRESSION PREVENTION PROGRAMS TARGETING YOUTH WITH AT-RISK SYMPTOMS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN UNIVERSAL PREVENTION PROGRAMS Meta-analysis of 30 research studies on the prevention of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents was conducted. Source: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2006, Vol 74, No 3, 401-415.

JUNE 2006: QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF DEVELOPING A FAMILY-BASED DEPRESSION PREVENTION PROGRAM IN URBAN COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS Initial study investigated a multicomponent depression prevention program (Protecting Families Program) for mothers and their school-aged children in urban setting. Findings support design of program, which focuses on increasing knowledge of depression, enhancing social support, improving parenting skills. Source: Family Process, 2006 Jun; 45(2):18-203.

MARCH 2006: TREATING DEPRESSION IN MOMS HELPS KIDS See: www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/Depression/tb/2897 Information supports the premise of Raising Depression-Free Children. Chapter 5 addresses this issue in depth.