Bibliographic information
GuidelineMental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders, [3rd ed.].
Year of Publication2023
Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization
Recommendation
New
Antidepressant medicines are not recommended for the treatment of children 12 years of age and below with depressive episode/disorder
Recommended against
Strong
Certainty of evidence
Low
Notes and Remarks
Remarks y Diagnosis of depression in children can be influenced by the cultural context and requires a comprehensive assessment of determinants at a family level and in the environment to reduce risks of overmedicalization.
Implementation considerations y Access to psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioural interventions and caregiver skills training, in line with other mhGAP recommendations, remains important for children with moderate-to-severe depression and their caregivers.