Post-traumatic depressions in children and adolescents

Abstract

The article provides up-to-date scientific data on the clinical phenotype of depression in children and adolescents that were exposed to significant psychological trauma as a result of hostilities, terrorism, natural disasters, abuse, physical and sexual violence. The review presents the latest data on the prevalence of depression due to various traumatic factors, comorbidity of mental and neurological disorders, possible mechanisms of their relationship, treatment recommendations. Post-traumatic depressions (PTD) are widespread in children and adolescents and negatively affect the quality of life and significantly increase the risk of suicide and self-harming behavior. The presence of depression worsens the prognosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, the treatment response. Several psychotherapeutic interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and eye-movement desensitization, are effective in the treatment of PTD. Psychopharmacological drugs, in particular antidepressants and mood stabilizers, have limited proven efficacy in PTD in pediatric practice. The use of these drugs in comorbid mental and neurological conditions has a higher level of evidence. Conclusions. Depression in children and adolescents due to psychological trauma remains an understudied topic. Future research should focus on the efficacy of pharmacological approaches to the treatment of posttraumatic depression and comorbid mental and neurological disorders, which is especially important for countries with low access to specialized psychotherapeutic care.