Depression is a serious pediatric problem, with experts estimating that 3% of children and 8% of teens have depression.

Barriers to these kids getting help often includes that many pediatricians don't have experience diagnosing or treating depression and few medicines are approved for use in children.

Fortunately, new studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that 'sertraline {Zoloft} is an effective and well-tolerated short-term treatment for children and adolescents with MDD.'

In the studies that the article describes, 376 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years with depression were either given Zoloft or a placebo. After 10 weeks, the studies showed that Zoloft 'was found to be more effective than placebo for treatment of pediatric MDD' (major depression disorder). In addition, the risk of suicide was no greater in the kids who took Zoloft, which is good news because some other studies have raised concern about an increased risk of suicide in children that took other SSRI antidepressants, like Paxil.

Although not formally approved by the FDA for children with depression, this article concludes that Zoloft is 'an effective, safe, and well-tolerated short-term treatment for children and adolescents with MDD.' Zoloft is approved for kids over age 6 with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and is available as an oral concentrated syrup for kids who can't swallow pills.

For more information:

• Prozac for Kids
• Can Kids Get Depressed?
• Depression in Children and Adolescents
• Efficacy of Sertraline in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder