Antidepressant treatment of caregivers of children with asthma.
BACKGROUND
Depression is common in caregivers of children with asthma and is associated with increased emergency service utilization for the child's asthma.


OBJECTIVE
This pilot study examined the impact of antidepressant treatment of depressed caregivers on the caregiver's depression and the child's asthma.


METHODS
Eight depressed caregivers of children with asthma were given up to 6 months of algorithm-based antidepressant therapy.


RESULTS
Caregiver depressive symptoms and the child's asthma symptoms improved significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Unscheduled clinic visits showed a trend toward significant decrease. Larger trials are needed to confirm these findings and identify mechanisms linking improvement in caregiver depression with improvement in their child's asthma.
Brown
E Sherwood
ES
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-8849, USA. Sherwood.Brown@UTSouthwestern.edu
Gan
Vanthaya
V
Jeffress
Jala
J
Wood
Beatrice L
BL
Miller
Bruce D
BD
Khan
David A
DA
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016642:Bupropion / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D016642:Bupropion; D015283:Citalopram; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors