Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in Children and Adolescents - Part III
Depressive disorders are now seen as increasingly common in children and adolescents. How are mood symptoms distinguished from the irritability of oppositional defiant or conduct disorder? More importantly, how does the primary care practitioner determine when psychotherapy alone or a combination of psychotherapy plus antidepressant treatment is needed? When can the primary care manage antidepressant medication? These are the critical issues this program will address. There is an in-depth discussion of the use of antidepressants in the pediatric population, with special emphasis on the risk of inducing suicidal ideation with these agents. The learner will examine how to balance this risk against the benefits of antidepressants. Dosing and side effects of the specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) are presented.
Objectives
- Differentiate major depressive disorder from the normal frustrations associated with psychosocial stressors
- Determine how to differentiate between irritable mania and irritable depression
- Understand the risks and benefits of using antidepressants in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder
- Understand the role of psychotherapy in the treatment of depression in children and adolescents
To receive credit view the presentation. After the presentation has completed click on Questions for CME Credit. Fax the completed post-test and evaluation to Monica Trevino at 210-567-5677 by March 31, 2010. Credit will only be given if the form is completed and the post-test score is 70% or higher. Press the play button when you are ready to begin. Please allow 1 minute for presentation to load.
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