Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Depressive Disorders

 This parameter was developed by Boris Birmaher, M.D., and David Brent, M.D., principal authors, and the AACAP Work Group on Quality Issues: William Bernet, M.D., Oscar Bukstein, M.D., and Heather Walter, Co-Chairs, and R. Scott Benson, M.D., Allan Chrisman, M.D., Tiffany Farchione, M.D., Laurence Greenhill, M.D., John Hamilton, M.D., Helene Keable, M.D., Joan Kinlan, M.D., Ulrich Schoettle, M.D., and Saundra Stock, M.D. AACAP Staff: Kristin Kroeger Ptakowski and Jennifer Medicus.The authors acknowledge the following experts for their contributions to this parameter: Jeffrey Bridge, Ph.D., Amy Cheung, M.D., Greg Clarke, Ph.D., Graham Emslie, M.D., Philip Hazell, M.D., Stan Kutcher, M.D., Laura Mufson, Ph.D., Kelly Posner, Ph.D., Joseph Rey, M.D., Karen Wagner, M.D., and Elizabeth Weller, M.D.This parameter was made available for review to the entire AACAP membership in February and March 2006.From July 2006 to February 2007, this parameter was reviewed by a Consensus Group convened by the Work Group on Quality Issues. Consensus Group members and their constituent groups were as follows: Work Group on Quality Issues (Oscar Bukstein, M.D., Helene Keable, M.D., and John Hamilton, M.D.); Topic Experts (Graham Emslie, M.D., and Greg Clarke, Ph.D.); AACAP Assembly of Regional Organizations (Syed Naqvi, M.D.); and AACAP Council (David DeMaso, M.D., and Michael Houston, M.D.).Disclosures of potential conflicts of interest for authors and Work Group chairs are provided at the end of the parameter. Disclosures of potential conflicts of interest for all other individuals named above are provided on the AACAP Web site on the Practice Information page.This practice parameter was approved by the AACAP Council on June 1, 2007.This practice parameter is available on the Internet (www.aacap.org).Reprint requests to the AACAP Communications Department, 3615 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016Disclosure: Dr. Birmaher participates or has participated in forums for Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Abcomm, Inc., and receives royalties from Random House. Dr. Bukstein receives or has received research support, acted as a consultant to, and/or served on the speakers' bureaus of Cephalon, Forest, McNeil Pediatrics, Shire, Eli Lilly, and Novartis. Drs. Brent, Bernet and Walter have no financial relationships to disclose.

PII: S0890-8567(09)62053-0

doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318145ae1c