Background: This paper reviews research on the psychological treatment of depression in children.
Method: Manual and computer literature searches were performed.
Results: The most promising psychological interventions for depression in children are individual rather than family therapies. Cognitive--behavioural therapy seems to be an effective treatment for depressive symptoms and mild depressive disorders. It may also be a useful preventive intervention, though this remains to be conclusively demonstrated. There have been no systematic studies comparing psychological treatments with medication.
Conclusions: Studies comparing psychological treatments and medication are now required.