Comparative efficacy, acceptability, and safety of medicinal, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and placebo treatments for acute major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: a multiple-treatments meta-analysis

AbstractBackground:New generation antidepressant therapies, including serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were introduced in the late 1980s; however, few comprehensive studies compared the benefits and risks of various contemporary treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) in pediatric patients.Objective:Multiple-treatments meta-analysis (MTM) was conducted to assess efficacy, acceptability, and safety of contemporary interventions in children and adolescents with MDD.Methods:Cochrane Library, AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, LiLACS, MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, PSYNDEX, and Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing medicinal interventions (citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, mirtazapine, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), combined fluoxetine with CBT, and placebo treatment for acute MDD from January 1988 to March 2013. Treatment success, dropout rat...