Back to basics: could behavioural therapy be a good treatment option for youth depression? A critical review

Abstract

Aim: Recent findings from systematic reviews and primary research studies have shown more modest effects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for youth depression than previously shown, highlighting the need to further enhance the effectiveness of this intervention, or components of this intervention. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize the work that has been done to identify the different components of CBT and their varying effectiveness for young people with depression.

Methods: Narrative overview of English language reviews/meta-analyses and primary intervention studies retrieved from searches of computerized databases as well as ancestry searches.

Results: Reviews of intervention studies of adults as well as young people with depression have shown that behavioural approaches are equally as effective as cognitive approaches in reducing depression symptoms. Post-hoc analyses of large studies in youth depression have also shown that behavioural approaches might be more suitable for young people.

Conclusions: Behaviourally based approaches appear promising in treating youth depression; however, further research is required. This research will represent an essential step towards refining interventions for youth depression, and enabling interventions to be targeted to particular subgroups, to optimize their effectiveness.

Keywords: cognitive behavioural therapy; depression; evidence-based practice; review.