Major Depression
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether it is advantageous for adolescents who have recovered from depression after a 6 to 12 week course of antidepressant treatment to stay on the treatment a further 6 months or is it just as helpful to stop the medication after recovery. The hypothesis is that adolescents with major depression who recover from the 6 to 12 week trial of citalopram will be less likely to have a recurrence of depression over a 6 month period if continued on the citalopram as compared to those who discontinue the medication.
Interventions
DRUGCitalopram
Sponsors
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
13 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of major Depression. * Age 13-18. * A score of \> 16 on the 17 item Hamilton Depression Scale or a score of \> 12 on the 17 items plus a score of \>7 on the atypical items. * Males and females. * Outpatient at initiation of double blind treatment phase. * Ability to give informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* Past or current hypomanic or manic episode. * Currently meets criteria for a Conduct Disorder. * Current psychotic symptoms. * Substance dependence in the last 3 months. * Significant medical condition that would contraindicate the use of an antidepressant. * Pregnancy * Past treatment with Citalopram for major depression
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Relapse - subject meets criteria for an episode of major depression for 2 weeks or more. | — |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed