Escitalopram in the treatment of children and adolescent depression

Objective To assess the effectiveness and tolerability of escitalopram for the treatment of children and adolescents with depressive disorder. Methods Fifty children and adolescents with depressive disorder treated with escitalopram at least four weeks. Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) were performed at baseline, the end of 1 week, two weeks, and four weeks after treatment. Results Significant decrease (P 0.01) of the score of HAMD and HAMA was found at the end of 1 week compared to the baseline values. The depressive symptom was improved continously during the treatment. At the end of 4 weeks, the effective rate was 86.0%. The majority of adverse events of escitloprm were gastrointestinal symptoms. Since the adverse events were mild, it is easy to tolerant. Conclusion Escitalopram is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of children and adolencents with depression.