Petti, T. A.,

Imipramine treatment of depressed children: A double-blind pilot study

Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2(2) : 107- 10

Kramer, A.D., Feiguine, R.J.

Clinical effects of amitriptyline in adolescent depression: A pilot study

To determine the effects of antidepressant medication on adolescent depression, we compared the efficacy of amitriptyline (200 mg daily) with placebo in a double-blind experimental design. Diagnosis of adolescent depression (n = 20) was achieved using the psychiatric interview, psychiatric rating scales, and psychometric instruments. No significant differences were reported between the amitriptyline and placebo groups on the Psychiatric Rating Scale or the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. There were differences between groups at week 6 on the Depression Adjective Check List. Within group significance occurred from onset of treatment to conclusion on all instruments. The results suggest that prescription of amitriptyline for treatment of adolescent depression may be no more efficacious than the use of placebo.

Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 20 : 636- 44

Hodgson, J. W.

Cognitive versus behavioral- interpersonal approaches to the group treatment of depressed college students

Treated matched groups of 38 depressed undergraduates by behavioralnterpersonal (B) and cognitive treatments, each under 2 conditions. Both kinds of treatment proved more effective than no treatment, with some evidence of superiority of the B approach. The group treated by the B method under intensive conditions made the greatest absolute gains on self-report measures of depression (e.g., Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale) and also became the most interpersonally skillful.

Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28(3) : 243- 9

Butler, Lenora, Mietzitis, Solveiga, Friedman, Ronald, Cole, Ester

The effect of two school-based intervention programs on depressive symptoms in preadolescents

Assigned 56 5th- and 6th- grade children, manifesting depressive symptoms as judged by teachers and in response to a self-report depression battery (Self-Esteem Scale, Children's Depression Inventory, Moyal-Miezitis Stimulus Appraisal Questionnaire, Nowicki-Strickland Children's Locus of Control Scale), to one of the following 10-wk intervention conditions: role play (treatment), cognitive restructuring (treatment), attention placebo, or control. Both quantitative and qualitative improvements were observed for several Ss in the role play and cognitive restructuring treatments, though the gain was more dramatic in role play. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

American Educational Research Journal, 17(1) : 111-119