A program designed to teach teens how to change their thoughts and behavior appears to be useful at preventing depression in some, according to a large-scale trial published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that adolescents at high risk for depression who took part in the depression-prevention program were significantly less likely to experience a new depressive episode compared to teens who continued with regular care — as long as they didn’t have a parent who was currently depressed. As many as 20% of adolescents experience one episode of clinical depression by age 18, and teens who have had one depressive episode are more likely to have a subsequent episode, according to Judy Garber , the first author on the study. The 316 adolescents in the trial were randomly assigned to the program of eight

weekly group sessions and six monthly sessions, or to continuing their usual care where they could seek mental-health services if they wanted. Each had a history of clinical depression, was currently suffering from some depressive symptoms and had a parent with a depressive history. Of those with parents who weren’t currently depressed, only 11.7% of the teens in the prevention program suffered a new depressive episode during the nine-month follow-up period, compared with 40.5% in the usual-care group. Those with at least one currently depressed parent, however, didn’t benefit from the program. Having a currently depressed parent could mean that the teen had more stress to deal with or the parent was less responsive to the teens’ new skills, according to Dr. Garber.

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Study: Depression Prevention Can Work For Some Teens