Xu M, Jin HY, Sun FL, Jin WD. Negative efficacy of antidepressants in pharmacotherapy of child and adolescent depression. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(1): 100308 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i1.100308]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Feng-Li Sun, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, No. 234 Gucuilu Road, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. sunfengli1980@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Jan 19, 2025; 15(1): 100308 Published online Jan 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i1.100308
Negative efficacy of antidepressants in pharmacotherapy of child and adolescent depression
Min Xu, Hai-Ying Jin, Feng-Li Sun, Wei-Dong Jin
Min Xu, Hai-Ying Jin, Department of Psychiatry, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang Province, China
Feng-Li Sun, Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Wei-Dong Jin, Department of Psychiatry, Zhejiang Provincial Mental Health Center, Hangzhou 311122, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Min Xu and Hai-Ying Jin.
Co-corresponding authors: Feng-Li Sun and Wei-Dong Jin.
Author contributions: Xu M conceptualized and designed the research and participated in collection of the references, analyzed useful data in references, combined the keywords, drafted the subtitle, constructed the structure of the manuscript, and wrote the draft; Jin HY participated in references check work, collection of key words, verifying rationality of data from references, and providing main information in references. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Both Sun FL and Jin WD have played important and indispensable roles in the design, data interpretation, and manuscript preparation as co-corresponding authors. Sun FL applied for and obtained the funds for this research project, and conceptualized, designed, and supervised the whole process of the project. She searched the literature, and revised and submitted the early version of the manuscript with the focus on negative effects of antidepressants in treatment of child and adolescent depression. Jin WD helped Sun FL to obtain the funds, and conceptualized, designed, and supervised the whole process of the project. He searched the literature, and revised and submitted the early version of the manuscript with the focus on negative effects of antidepressants in treatment of child and adolescent depression. This collaboration between Sun FL and Jin WD is crucial for the publication of this manuscript and other manuscripts still in preparation.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Feng-Li Sun, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, No. 234 Gucuilu Road, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. sunfengli1980@163.com
Received: August 13, 2024 Revised: October 24, 2024 Accepted: November 18, 2024 Published online: January 19, 2025 Processing time: 127 Days and 1 Hours
Abstract
Antidepressants are the main drugs used to treat depression, but they have not been shown to be effective in the treatment of child and adolescent depression. However, many adolescent depression treatment guidelines still recommend the use of antidepressants, especially specific serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. Previous studies have suggested that antidepressants have little therapeutic effect but many side effects, such as switching to mania, suicide, and non-suicidal self injury (NSSI), in the treatment of child and adolescent depression. In the process of developing guidelines, drug recommendations should not only focus on improving symptoms, but they should also consider potential side effects. This review discusses the serious side effects of antidepressants, including switching to mania, suicide, and NSSI.
Core Tip: Antidepressants are not effective in the treatment of child and adolescent depression, and by contrast, it can induce serious side effects of switching to mania and suicide including non-suicidal self injury. However, many children and adolescent depression treatment guidelines still recommend the use of antidepressants. Drug recommendations should not only focus on improving symptoms, but they should also consider potential side effects.
