title: Psychotherapy for depression among children and adolescents: a systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the clinical benefit, the harm and the cost-effectiveness of psychotherapies in comparison with no treatment, waiting-list controls, attention-placebos, and treatment as usual in depressed youths.
  
  
  METHODS
  Meta-analyses were undertaken by using data from all relevant randomized-controlled trials identified by a comprehensive literature search. The primary outcome was relative risk (RR) of response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 27 studies containing 35 comparisons and 1,744 participants. At post-treatment, psychotherapy was significantly superior (RR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.18-1.65, P = 0.0001, number-needed to treat 4.3). There was an evidence of the existence of small study effects, including a publication bias (P < 0.001). The superiority of psychotherapy was no longer statistically significant (1.18 [0.94-1.47], P = 0.15) at 6-month follow-up. None of the studies reported adverse effects or cost-effectiveness outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the findings were biased by some small positive trials, psychotherapies appear to help depressed youths for the short term, but are no longer significantly favourable at 6-month follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan. noriow@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hunot
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Churchill
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy; D017594:Publication Bias; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome