Posted by Nickengland on October 1, 2005, at 17:58:49
In reply to UK Docs Told To Hold Antidepressants For Teens, posted by jrbecker on September 29, 2005, at 9:45:28
PRESS RELEASE
Latest NICE guidance sets new standards for
treating depression in children and young people.The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National
Collaborating Centre for Mental Health have today (28th September) launched a clinical
guideline on the treatment and management of depression in children and young people.
The guideline recommends that –o Children and young people with moderate to severe depression should be offered, as
a first-line treatment, a specific psychological therapy (such as cognitive behavioural
therapy, interpersonal therapy or family therapy of at least 3 months’ duration).
o Antidepressant medication should not be offered to children or young people with
moderate to severe depression except in combination with a concurrent psychological
therapy and should not be offered at all to children with mild depression.
o Healthcare professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant community
settings should be trained to detect symptoms of depression, and to assess children
and young people who may be at risk of depression.
o Attention should be paid to the possible need for parents’ own psychiatric problems
(particularly depression) to be treated in parallel, if the child or young person’s mental
health is to improveAndrew Dillon, Chief Executive of NICE and Executive Lead for this guideline says
“This guideline makes it clear that psychological treatments are the most effective way to
treat depression in children and young people. It’s important that children and young people
taking anti-depressants do not stop taking them abruptly, but we would advise people to talk
to their GP at their next regular review about whether a psychological treatment may be a
more effective treatment option.”Dr Tim Kendall, Joint Director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health
who developed the guideline on behalf of NICE says “This is the sixth mental health
guideline where we have recommended psychological treatments as key treatments for a
mental health condition and the third where we have recommended them as the first line
treatment. The evidence supporting these treatments is robust and it is vital that the NHS
provides psychological therapies to ensure everyone who needs these treatments can
access them rapidly.”Professor Peter Fonagy, Professor of Psychoanalysis and Chair, Guideline
Development Group says “Depression in children is more common than many people
realise and often goes unrecognised. Around 1% of children and 3% of adolescents will
suffer from depression in any one year. It can severely impact on school performance, self
esteem and making and retaining friendships. It can lead to a greatly increased risk of
mental health problems in adult life and at its most serious it can dramatically increase the
lifetime risk of suicide, from 1.3% in the general population to 6%.”Ms Charlotte Dodds, Depression Support Group Co-Facilitator and Carer
Representative on the Guideline Development Group says “Depression
disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged children. Children and young people with
emotional disorders, when compared with children without a mental disorder, were nearly
twice as likely to be living with a lone parent (28% versus 15%), more than twice as likely to
be with both parents being unemployed (27% versus 12%), and more likely to have parents
who were on low incomes, had fewer qualifications and living in social sector housing. I hope
this guideline raises awareness of the issue and encourages more equal access to
treatments for all children and young people with depression, no matter where or how they
live.”Ms Dinah Morley, Deputy Director of YoungMinds says “YoungMinds welcomes the
emphasis on psychological therapies as the best approach to the treatment of depression.
However the very significant shortage of practitioners able to deliver these therapies is a
cause for concern, as is the general lack of awareness of the prevalence of depression in
babies, children and young people. We look to increasing investment in services which
support the mental health of children and young people and to improvements in the training
of all practitioners working with children, to help them in identifying symptoms of depression
and in seeking effective help. Too many children’s lives are blighted by depression, a
condition for which there are effective treatments. We welcome the NICE guidelines as
another reminder that children’s mental health matters and is the business of everybody.”The Committee on the Safety of Medicines issued advice on the safety of antidepressant
medication for children in 2003. The NICE guidance complements and builds on this advice.Notes to Editors
About NICE
1. On 1 April 2005 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence took on the functions of the
Health Development Agency to form the National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence (NICE). NICE is the independent organisation responsible for providing
national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill
health.
2. NICE produces guidance in three areas of health:
• public health – guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention of ill
health for those working in the NHS, local authorities and the wider public and
voluntary sector
• health technologies – guidance on the use of new and existing medicines,
treatments and procedures within the NHS
• clinical practice – guidance on the appropriate treatment and care of people with
specific diseases and conditions within the NHS.http://www.nice.org.uk/pdf/2005_022_Depression_in_Children_Guideline.pdf
Kind regards
Nick
poster:Nickengland
thread:560944
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050927/msgs/561693.html