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Depression in children and young
people: Identification and
management in primary, community
and secondary care
Issued: March 2015
NICE clinical guideline 28
guidance.nice.org.uk/cg28
© NICE 2015
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 4
Safeguarding children .......................................................................................................................... 4
Recommendations about medicines .................................................................................................... 5
Patient-centred care ................................................................................................................. 6
Key priorities for implementation ............................................................................................... 7
1 Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 10
1.1 Care of all children and young people with depression.................................................................. 10
1.2 Stepped care.................................................................................................................................. 16
1.3 Step 1: Detection, risk profiling and referral ................................................................................... 17
1.4 Step 2: Recognition........................................................................................................................ 21
1.5 Step 3: Mild depression.................................................................................................................. 21
1.6 Steps 4 and 5: Moderate to severe depression ............................................................................. 22
1.7 Transfer to adult services ............................................................................................................... 31
2 Research recommendations .................................................................................................. 33
Additional research .............................................................................................................................. 33
3 Other information.................................................................................................................... 35
3.1 Scope and how this guideline was developed ............................................................................... 35
3.2 Related NICE guidance.................................................................................................................. 35
3.3 Standing Committee....................................................................................................................... 36
3.4 Clinical Guidelines Update Team ................................................................................................... 36
3.5 NICE project team.......................................................................................................................... 37
3.6 Declarations of interests................................................................................................................. 38
Appendix A: Glossary................................................................................................................ 52
About this guideline ................................................................................................................... 60
Update information............................................................................................................................... 60
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Strength of recommendations .............................................................................................................. 61
Other versions of this guideline............................................................................................................ 62
Implementation..................................................................................................................................... 62
Your responsibility ................................................................................................................................ 62
Copyright.............................................................................................................................................. 63
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Introduction
Recommendations on psychological therapies and antidepressants have been added to and
updated in sections 1.5 and 1.6. The addendum contains details of the methods and
evidence used to update these recommendations.
This guideline covers the identification and treatment of depression in children (5–11 years) and
young people (12–18 years) in primary, community and secondary care. Depression is a broad
diagnosis that can include different symptoms in different people. However, depressed mood or
loss of pleasure in most activities, are key signs of depression. Depressive symptoms are
frequently accompanied by symptoms of anxiety, but may also occur on their own. The
International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) uses an agreed list of 10 depressive
symptoms, and divides depression into 4 categories: not depressed (fewer than 4 symptoms),
mild depression (4 symptoms), moderate depression (5 to 6 symptoms), and severe depression
(7 or more symptoms, with or without psychotic symptoms). For a diagnosis of depression,
symptoms should be present for at least 2 weeks and every symptom should be present for most
of the day.
For the purposes of this guideline, the management of depression has been divided into the
following categories as defined by the ICD-10:
mild depression
moderate and severe depression
severe depression with psychotic symptoms.
However, it is not clear whether the severity of depression can be understood in a single
symptom count. Family context, previous history, and the degree of associated impairment are
all important in helping to assess depression. Because of this, it is important to assess how the
child or young person functions in different settings (for example, at school, with peers and with
family), as well as asking about specific symptoms of depression.
Safeguarding children
Remember that child maltreatment:
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is common
can present anywhere, such as emergency departments and primary care or on home visits.
Be aware of or suspect abuse as a contributory factor to or cause of the symptoms or signs of
depression in children. Abuse may also coexist with depression. See the NICE guideline on child
maltreatment for clinical features that may be associated with maltreatment.
This section has been agreed with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Recommendations about medicines
The guideline will assume that prescribers will use a medicine's summary of product
characteristics to inform decisions made with individual patients.
This guideline recommends some medicines for indications for which they do not have a UK
marketing authorisation at the date of publication, if there is good evidence to support that use.
The prescriber should follow relevant professional guidance, taking full responsibility for the
decision. The patient (or those with authority to give consent on their behalf) should provide
informed consent, which should be documented. See the General Medical Council's Good
practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices for further information. Where
recommendations have been made for the use of medicines outside their licensed indications
('off-label use'), these medicines are marked with a footnote in the recommendations.
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Patient-centred care
This guideline offers best practice advice on the care of children and young people with
depression.
Patients and healthcare professionals have rights and responsibilities as set out in the NHS
Constitution for England – all NICE guidance is written to reflect these. Treatment and care
should take into account individual needs and preferences. Patients should have the opportunity
to make informed decisions about their care and treatment, in partnership with their healthcare
professionals. If the patient is under 16, their family or carers should also be given information
and support to help the child or young person to make decisions about their treatment.
Healthcare professionals should follow the Department of Health's advice on consent. If
someone does not have capacity to make decisions, healthcare professionals should follow the
code of practice that accompanies the Mental Capacity Act and the supplementary code of
practice on deprivation of liberty safeguards.
If a young person is moving between paediatric and adult services, care should be planned and
managed according to the best practice guidance described in the Department of Health's
Transition: getting it right for young people.
Adult and paediatric healthcare teams should work jointly to provide assessment and services to
young people with depression. Diagnosis and management should be reviewed throughout the
transition process, and there should be clarity about who is the lead clinician to ensure continuity
of care.
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Key priorities for implementation
The following recommendations were identified as priorities for implementation in the
2005 guideline and have not been changed in the 2015 update.
Assessment and coordination of care
When assessing a child or young person with depression, healthcare professionals[1]
should
routinely consider, and record in the patient's notes, potential comorbidities, and the social,
educational and family context for the patient and family members, including the quality of
interpersonal relationships, both between the patient and other family members and with
their friends and peers. [2005]
Treatment considerations in all settings
Psychological therapies used in the treatment of children and young people with depression
should be provided by therapists who are also trained child and adolescent mental
healthcare professionals. [2005]
Comorbid diagnoses and developmental, social and educational problems should be
assessed and managed, either in sequence or in parallel, with the treatment for depression.
Where appropriate this should be done through consultation and alliance with a wider
network of education and social care. [2005]
Attention should be paid to the possible need for parents' own psychiatric problems
(particularly depression) to be treated in parallel, if the child or young person's mental health
is to improve. If such a need is identified, then a plan for obtaining such treatment should be
made, bearing in mind the availability of adult mental health provision and other services.
[2005]
Step 1: Detection and risk profiling
Healthcare professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant community settings
should be trained to detect symptoms of depression, and to assess children and young
people who may be at risk of depression. Training should include the evaluation of recent
and past psychosocial risk factors, such as age, gender, family discord, bullying, physical,
sexual or emotional abuse, comorbid disorders, including drug and alcohol use, and a
history of parental depression; the natural history of single loss events; the importance of
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multiple risk factors; ethnic and cultural factors; and factors known to be associated with a
high risk of depression and other health problems, such as homelessness, refugee status
and living in institutional settings. [2005]
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) tier 2 or 3 should work with health
and social care professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant community settings
to provide training and develop ethnically and culturally sensitive systems for detecting,
assessing, supporting and referring children and young people who are either depressed or
at significant risk of becoming depressed. [2005]
Step 2: Recognition
Training opportunities should be made available to improve the accuracy of CAMHS
professionals in diagnosing depressive conditions. The existing interviewer-based
instruments (such as Kiddie-Sads [K-SADS] and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric
Assessment [CAPA]) could be used for this purpose but will require modification for regular
use in busy routine CAMHS settings. [2005]
Step 3: Mild depression
Antidepressant medication should not be used for the initial treatment of children and young
people with mild depression. [2005]
Steps 4 and 5: Moderate to severe depression
Offer children and young people with moderate to severe depression a specific
psychological therapy (individual CBT, interpersonal therapy, family therapy, or
psychodynamic psychotherapy) that runs for at least 3 months. [new 2015]
Do not offer antidepressant medication to a child or young person with moderate to severe
depression except in combination with a concurrent psychological therapy. Specific
arrangements must be made for careful monitoring of adverse drug reactions, as well as for
reviewing mental state and general progress; for example, weekly contact with the child or
young person and their parent(s) or carer(s) for the first 4 weeks of treatment. The precise
frequency will need to be decided on an individual basis, and recorded in the notes. In the
event that psychological therapies are declined, medication may still be given, but as the
young person will not be reviewed at psychological therapy sessions, the prescribing doctor
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should closely monitor the child or young person's progress on a regular basis and focus
particularly on emergent adverse drug reactions. [2015]
[1]
See appendix A for the glossary definition of healthcare professionals as used in this guideline.
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1 Recommendations
The following guidance is based on the best available evidence. The full guideline gives details
of the methods and the evidence used to develop the [2005] recommendations. The guideline
addendum gives details of the methods and the evidence used to develop the [2015] and [new
2015] recommendations.
The wording used in the recommendations in this guideline (for example, words such as
'offer' and 'consider') denotes the certainty with which the recommendation is made (the
strength of the recommendation). See about this guideline for details.
1.1 Care of all children and young people with depression
1.1.1 Good information, informed consent and support
1.1.1.1 Children and young people and their families need good information, given as
part of a collaborative and supportive relationship with healthcare
professionals, and need to be able to give fully informed consent. [2005]
1.1.1.2 Healthcare professionals involved in the detection, assessment or treatment of
children or young people with depression should ensure that information is
provided to the patient and their parent(s) and carer(s) at an appropriate time.
The information should be age appropriate and should cover the nature,
course and treatment of depression, including the likely side-effect profile of
medication should this be offered. [2005]
1.1.1.3 Healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of children or young people
with depression should take time to build a supportive and collaborative
relationship with both the patient and the family or carers. [2005]
1.1.1.4 Healthcare professionals should make all efforts necessary to engage the child
or young person and their parent(s) or carer(s) in treatment decisions, taking
full account of patient and parental/carer expectations, so that the patient and
their parent(s) or carer(s) can give meaningful and properly informed consent
before treatment is initiated. [2005]
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1.1.1.5 Families and carers should be informed of self-help groups and support groups
and be encouraged to participate in such programmes where appropriate.
[2005]
1.1.2 Language and ethnic minorities
1.1.2.1 Where possible, all services should provide written information or audiotaped
material in the language of the child or young person and their family or
carer(s), and professional interpreters should be sought for those whose
preferred language is not English. [2005]
1.1.2.2 Consideration should be given to providing psychological therapies and
information about medication and local services in the language of the child or
young person and their family or carers where the patient's and/or their family's
or carer's first language is not English. If this is not possible, an interpreter
should be sought. [2005]
1.1.2.3 Healthcare professionals in primary, secondary and relevant community
settings should be trained in cultural competence to aid in the diagnosis and
treatment of depression in children and young people from black and minority
ethnic groups. This training should take into consideration the impact of the
patient's and healthcare professional's racial identity status on the patient's
depression. [2005]
1.1.2.4 Healthcare professionals working with interpreters should be provided with
joint training opportunities with those interpreters, to ensure that both
healthcare professionals and interpreters understand the specific requirements
of interpretation in a mental health setting. [2005]
1.1.2.5 The development and evaluation of services for children and young people
with depression should be undertaken in collaboration with stakeholders
involving patients and their families and carers, including members of black
and minority ethnic groups. [2005]
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1.1.3 Assessment and coordination of care
1.1.3.1 When assessing a child or young person with depression, healthcare
professionals should routinely consider, and record in the patient's notes,
potential comorbidities, and the social, educational and family context for the
patient and family members, including the quality of interpersonal relationships,
both between the patient and other family members and with their friends and
peers. [2005]
1.1.3.2 In the assessment of a child or young person with depression, healthcare
professionals should always ask the patient and their parent(s) or carer(s)
directly about the child or young person's alcohol and drug use, any
experience of being bullied or abused, self-harm and ideas about suicide. A
young person should be offered the opportunity to discuss these issues initially
in private. [2005]
1.1.3.3 If a child or young person with depression presents acutely having
self-harmed, the immediate management should follow the NICE guideline
Self-harm: the short-term physical and psychological management and
secondary prevention of self-harm in primary and secondary care as this
applies to children and young people, paying particular attention to the
guidance on consent and capacity. Further management should then follow
this depression guideline. [2005]
1.1.3.4 In the assessment of a child or young person with depression, healthcare
professionals should always ask the patient, and be prepared to give advice,
about self-help materials or other methods used or considered potentially
helpful by the patient or their parent(s) or carer(s). This may include
educational leaflets, helplines, self-diagnosis tools, peer, social and family
support groups, complementary therapies, and religious and spiritual groups.
[2005]
1.1.3.5 Healthcare professionals should only recommend self-help materials or
strategies as part of a supported and planned package of care. [2005]
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1.1.3.6 For any child or young person with suspected mood disorder, a family history
should be obtained to check for unipolar or bipolar depression in parents and
grandparents. [2005]
1.1.3.7 When a child or young person has been diagnosed with depression,
consideration should be given to the possibility of parental depression, parental
substance misuse, or other mental health problems and associated problems
of living, as these are often associated with depression in a child or young
person and, if untreated, may have a negative impact on the success of
treatment offered to the child or young person. [2005]
1.1.3.8 When the clinical progress of children and young people with depression is
being monitored in secondary care, the self-report Mood and Feelings
Questionnaire (MFQ) should be considered as an adjunct to clinical
judgement. [2005]
1.1.3.9 In the assessment and treatment of depression in children and young people,
special attention should be paid to the issues of:
confidentiality
the young person's consent (including Gillick competence)
parental consent
child protection
the use of the Mental Health Act in young people
the use of the Children Act. [2005]
1.1.3.10The form of assessment should take account of cultural and ethnic variations
in communication, family values and the place of the child or young person
within the family. [2005]
1.1.4 The organisation and planning of services
1.1.4.1 Healthcare professionals specialising in depression in children and young
people should work with local CAMHS to enhance specialist knowledge and
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skills regarding depression in these existing services. This work should include
providing training and help with guideline implementation. [2005]
1.1.4.2 CAMHS and local healthcare commissioning organisations should consider
introducing a primary mental health worker (or CAMHS link worker) into each
secondary school and secondary pupil referral unit as part of tier 2 provision
within the locality. [2005]
1.1.4.3 Primary mental health workers (or CAMHS link workers) should establish clear
lines of communication between CAMHS and tier 1 or 2, with named contact
people in each tier or service, and develop systems for the collaborative
planning of services for young people with depression in tiers 1 and 2. [2005]
1.1.4.4 CAMHS and local healthcare commissioning organisations should routinely
monitor the rates of detection, referral and treatment of children and young
people, from all ethnic groups, with mental health problems, including those
with depression, in local schools and primary care. This information should be
used for planning services and made available for local, regional and national
comparison. [2005]
1.1.4.5 All healthcare and CAHMS professionals should routinely use, and record in
the notes, appropriate outcome measures (such as those self-report measures
used in screening for depression or generic outcome measures used by
particular services, for example Health of the Nation Outcome Scale for
Children and Adolescents [HoNOSCA] or Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire [SDQ]), for the assessment and treatment of depression in
children and young people. This information should be used for planning
services, and made available for local, regional and national comparison.
[2005]
1.1.5 Treatment considerations in all settings
1.1.5.1 Most children and young people with depression should be treated on an
outpatient or community basis. [2005]
1.1.5.2 Before any treatment is started, healthcare professionals should assess,
together with the young person, the social network around him or her. This
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should include a written formulation, identifying factors that may have
contributed to the development and maintenance of depression, and that may
impact both positively or negatively on the efficacy of the treatments offered.
The formulation should also indicate ways that the healthcare professionals
may work in partnership with the social and professional network of the young
person. [2005]
1.1.5.3 When bullying is considered to be a factor in a child or young person's
depression, CAMHS, primary care and educational professionals should work
collaboratively to prevent bullying and to develop effective antibullying
strategies. [2005]
1.1.5.4 Psychological therapies used in the treatment of children and young people
with depression should be provided by therapists who are also trained child
and adolescent mental healthcare professionals. [2005]
1.1.5.5 Psychological therapies used in the treatment of children and young people
with depression should be provided by healthcare professionals who have
been trained to an appropriate level of competence in the specific modality of
psychological therapy being offered. [2005]
1.1.5.6 Therapists should develop a treatment alliance with the family. If this proves
difficult, consideration should be given to providing the family with an
alternative therapist. [2005]
1.1.5.7 Comorbid diagnoses and developmental, social and educational problems
should be assessed and managed, either in sequence or in parallel, with the
treatment for depression. Where appropriate this should be done through
consultation and alliance with a wider network of education and social care.
[2005]
1.1.5.8 Attention should be paid to the possible need for parents' own psychiatric
problems (particularly depression) to be treated in parallel, if the child or young
person's mental health is to improve. If such a need is identified, then a plan
for obtaining such treatment should be made, bearing in mind the availability of
adult mental health provision and other services. [2005]
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1.1.5.9 A child or young person with depression should be offered advice on the
benefits of regular exercise and encouraged to consider following a structured
and supervised exercise programme of typically up to three sessions per week
of moderate duration (45 minutes to 1 hour) for between 10 and 12 weeks.
[2005]
1.1.5.10A child or young person with depression should be offered advice about sleep
hygiene and anxiety management. [2005]
1.1.5.11 A child or young person with depression should be offered advice about
nutrition and the benefits of a balanced diet. [2005]
1.2 Stepped care
The stepped-care model of depression draws attention to the different needs that depressed
children and young people have – depending on the characteristics of their depression and their
personal and social circumstances – and the responses that are required from services. It
provides a framework in which to organise the provision of services that support both healthcare
professionals and patients and their parent(s) or carer(s) in identifying and accessing the most
effective interventions (see Table 1).
Table 1 The stepped-care model
Focus Action Responsibility
Detection Risk profiling Tier 1
Recognition Identification in presenting children or
young people
Tiers 2–4
Mild depression (including
dysthymia)
Watchful waiting
Non-directive supportive therapy/
group cognitive behavioural therapy/
guided self-help
Tier 1
Tier 1 or 2
Moderate to severe depression Brief psychological therapy
+/– fluoxetine
Tier 2 or 3
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Depression unresponsive to
treatment/recurrent depression/
psychotic depression
Intensive psychological therapy
+/– fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram,
augmentation with an antipsychotic
Tier 3 or 4
The guidance follows these five steps.
1. Detection and recognition of depression and risk profiling in primary care and community
settings.
2. Recognition of depression in children and young people referred to CAMHS.
3. Managing recognised depression in primary care and community settings – mild depression.
4. Managing recognised depression in tier 2 or 3 CAMHS – moderate to severe depression.
5. Managing recognised depression in tier 3 or 4 CAMHS – unresponsive, recurrent and
psychotic depression, including depression needing inpatient care.
Each step introduces additional interventions; the higher steps assume interventions in the
previous step. [2005]
1.3 Step 1: Detection, risk profiling and referral
1.3.1 Detection and risk profiling
1.3.1.1 Healthcare professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant
community settings should be trained to detect symptoms of depression, and
to assess children and young people who may be at risk of depression.
Training should include the evaluation of recent and past psychosocial risk
factors, such as age, gender, family discord, bullying, physical, sexual or
emotional abuse, comorbid disorders, including drug and alcohol use, and a
history of parental depression; the natural history of single loss events; the
importance of multiple risk factors; ethnic and cultural factors; and factors
known to be associated with a high risk of depression and other health
problems, such as homelessness, refugee status and living in institutional
settings. [2005]
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1.3.1.2 Healthcare professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant
community settings should be trained in communications skills such as 'active
listening' and 'conversational technique', so that they can deal confidently with
the acute sadness and distress ('situational dysphoria') that may be
encountered in children and young people following recent undesirable events.
[2005]
1.3.1.3 Healthcare professionals in primary care settings should be familiar with
screening for mood disorders. They should have regular access to specialist
supervision and consultation. [2005]
1.3.1.4 Healthcare professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant
community settings who are providing support for a child or young person with
situational dysphoria should consider ongoing social and environmental factors
if the dysphoria becomes more persistent. [2005]
1.3.1.5 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) tier 2 or 3 should work
with health and social care professionals in primary care, schools and other
relevant community settings to provide training and develop ethnically and
culturally sensitive systems for detecting, assessing, supporting and referring
children and young people who are either depressed or at significant risk of
becoming depressed. [2005]
1.3.1.6 In the provision of training by CAMHS professionals for healthcare
professionals in primary care, schools and relevant community settings, priority
should be given to the training of pastoral support staff in schools (particularly
secondary schools), community paediatricians and GPs. [2005]
1.3.1.7 When a child or young person is exposed to a single recent undesirable life
event, such as bereavement, parental divorce or separation or a severely
disappointing experience, healthcare professionals in primary care, schools
and other relevant community settings should undertake an assessment of the
risks of depression associated with the event and make contact with their
parent(s) or carer(s) to help integrate parental/carer and professional
responses. The risk profile should be recorded in the child or young person's
records. [2005]
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1.3.1.8 When a child or young person is exposed to a single recent undesirable life
event, such as bereavement, parental divorce or separation or a severely
disappointing experience, in the absence of other risk factors for depression,
healthcare professionals in primary care, schools and other relevant
community settings should offer support and the opportunity to talk over the
event with the child or young person. [2005]
1.3.1.9 Following an undesirable event, a child or young person should not normally
be referred for further assessment or treatment, as single events are unlikely to
lead to a depressive illness. [2005]
1.3.1.10A child or young person who has been exposed to a recent undesirable life
event, such as bereavement, parental divorce or separation or a severely
disappointing experience and is identified to be at high risk of depression (the
presence of two or more other risk factors for depression), should be offered
the opportunity to talk over their recent negative experiences with a
professional in tier 1 and assessed for depression. Early referral should be
considered if there is evidence of depression and/or self-harm. [2005]
1.3.1.11 When a child or young person is exposed to a recent undesirable life event,
such as bereavement, parental divorce or separation or a severely
disappointing experience, and where one or more family members (parents or
children) have multiple-risk histories for depression, they should be offered the
opportunity to talk over their recent negative experiences with a professional in
tier 1 and assessed for depression. Early referral should be considered if there
is evidence of depression and/or self-harm. [2005]
1.3.1.12If children and young people who have previously recovered from moderate or
severe depression begin to show signs of a recurrence of depression,
healthcare professionals in primary care, schools or other relevant community
settings should refer them to CAMHS tier 2 or 3 for rapid assessment. [2005]
1.3.2 Referral criteria
1.3.2.1 For children and young people, the following factors should be used by
healthcare professionals as indications that management can remain at tier 1:
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exposure to a single undesirable event in the absence of other risk factors for
depression
exposure to a recent undesirable life event in the presence of two or more other risk
factors with no evidence of depression and/or self-harm
exposure to a recent undesirable life event, where one or more family members
(parents or children) have multiple-risk histories for depression, providing that there
is no evidence of depression and/or self-harm in the child or young person
mild depression without comorbidity. [2005]
1.3.2.2 For children and young people, the following factors should be used by
healthcare professionals as criteria for referral to tier 2 or 3 CAMHS:
depression with two or more other risk factors for depression
depression where one or more family members (parents or children) have
multiple-risk histories for depression
mild depression in those who have not responded to interventions in tier 1 after
2–3 months
moderate or severe depression (including psychotic depression)
signs of a recurrence of depression in those who have recovered from previous
moderate or severe depression
unexplained self-neglect of at least 1 month's duration that could be harmful to their
physical health
active suicidal ideas or plans
referral requested by a young person or their parent(s) or carer(s). [2005]
1.3.2.3 For children and young people, the following factors should be used by
healthcare professionals as criteria for referral to tier 4 services:
high recurrent risk of acts of self-harm or suicide
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significant ongoing self-neglect (such as poor personal hygiene or significant
reduction in eating that could be harmful to their physical health)
requirement for intensity of assessment/treatment and/or level of supervision that is
not available in tier 2 or 3. [2005]
1.4 Step 2: Recognition
1.4.1.1 Children and young people of 11 years or older referred to CAMHS without a
diagnosis of depression should be routinely screened with a self-report
questionnaire for depression (of which the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire
[MFQ] is currently the best) as part of a general assessment procedure. [2005]
1.4.1.2 Training opportunities should be made available to improve the accuracy of
CAMHS professionals in diagnosing depressive conditions. The existing
interviewer-based instruments (such as Kiddie-Sads [K-SADS] and Child and
Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment [CAPA]) could be used for this purpose but
will require modification for regular use in busy routine CAMHS settings. [2005]
1.4.1.3 Within tier 3 CAMHS, professionals who specialise in the treatment of
depression should have been trained in interviewer-based assessment
instruments (such as K-SADS and CAPA) and have skills in non-verbal
assessments of mood in younger children. [2005]
1.5 Step 3: Mild depression
1.5.1 Watchful waiting
1.5.1.1 For children and young people with diagnosed mild depression who do not
want an intervention or who, in the opinion of the healthcare professional, may
recover with no intervention, a further assessment should be arranged,
normally within 2 weeks ('watchful waiting'). [2005]
1.5.1.2 Healthcare professionals should make contact with children and young people
with depression who do not attend follow-up appointments. [2005]
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1.5.2 Interventions for mild depression
1.5.2.1 Discuss the choice of psychological therapies with children and young people
and their family members or carers (as appropriate). Explain that there is no
good-quality evidence that one type of psychological therapy is better than the
others. [new 2015]
1.5.2.2 Following a period of up to 4 weeks of watchful waiting, offer all children and
young people with continuing mild depression and without significant comorbid
problems or signs of suicidal ideation individual non-directive supportive
therapy, group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or guided self-help for a
limited period (approximately 2 to 3 months). This could be provided by
appropriately trained professionals in primary care, schools, social services
and the voluntary sector or in tier 2 Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Services (CAMHS). [2015]
1.5.2.3 Children and young people with mild depression who do not respond after 2 to
3 months to non-directive supportive therapy, group CBT or guided self-help
should be referred for review by a tier 2 or 3 CAMHS team. [2005]
1.5.2.4 Antidepressant medication should not be used for the initial treatment of
children and young people with mild depression. [2005]
1.5.2.5 The further treatment of children and young people with persisting mild
depression unresponsive to treatment at tier 1 or 2 should follow the guidance
for moderate to severe depression (see section 1.6 below). [2005]
1.6 Steps 4 and 5: Moderate to severe depression
1.6.1 Treatments for moderate to severe depression
See recommendation 1.5.2.1 on discussions to have with children and young people and their
family members or carers (as appropriate) before starting psychological therapies.
1.6.1.1 Children and young people presenting with moderate to severe depression
should be reviewed by a CAMHS tier 2 or 3 team. [2005]
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1.6.1.2 Offer children and young people with moderate to severe depression a specific
psychological therapy (individual CBT, interpersonal therapy, family therapy, or
psychodynamic psychotherapy) that runs for at least 3 months. [new 2015]
1.6.2 Combined treatments for moderate to severe depression
1.6.2.1 Consider combined therapy (fluoxetine[2]
and psychological therapy) for initial
treatment of moderate to severe depression in young people (12–18 years), as
an alternative to psychological therapy followed by combined therapy and to
recommendations 1.6.2.2–1.6.2.4. [new 2015]
1.6.2.2 If moderate to severe depression in a child or young person is unresponsive to
psychological therapy after four to six treatment sessions, a multidisciplinary
review should be carried out. [2005]
1.6.2.3 Following multidisciplinary review, if the child or young person's depression is
not responding to psychological therapy as a result of other coexisting factors
such as the presence of comorbid conditions, persisting psychosocial risk
factors such as family discord, or the presence of parental mental ill-health,
alternative or perhaps additional psychological therapy for the parent or other
family members, or alternative psychological therapy for the patient, should be
considered. [2005]
1.6.2.4 Following multidisciplinary review, offer fluoxetine[3]
if moderate to severe
depression in a young person (12–18 years) is unresponsive to a specific
psychological therapy after 4 to 6 sessions. [2015]
1.6.2.5 Following multidisciplinary review, cautiously consider fluoxetine[4]
if moderate
to severe depression in a child (5–11 years) is unresponsive to a specific
psychological therapy after 4 to 6 sessions, although the evidence for
fluoxetine's effectiveness in this age group is not established. [2015]
1.6.3 Depression unresponsive to combined treatment
1.6.3.1 If moderate to severe depression in a child or young person is unresponsive to
combined treatment with a specific psychological therapy and fluoxetine after a
further six sessions, or the patient and/or their parent(s) or carer(s) have
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declined the offer of fluoxetine, the multidisciplinary team should make a full
needs and risk assessment. This should include a review of the diagnosis,
examination of the possibility of comorbid diagnoses, reassessment of the
possible individual, family and social causes of depression, consideration of
whether there has been a fair trial of treatment, and assessment for further
psychological therapy for the patient and/or additional help for the family.
[2005]
1.6.3.2 Following multidisciplinary review, the following should be considered:
an alternative psychological therapy which has not been tried previously (individual
CBT, interpersonal therapy or shorter-term family therapy, of at least 3 months'
duration), or
systemic family therapy (at least 15 fortnightly sessions), or
individual child psychotherapy (approximately 30 weekly sessions). [2005]
1.6.4 How to use antidepressants in children and young people
1.6.4.1 Do not offer antidepressant medication to a child or young person with
moderate to severe depression except in combination with a concurrent
psychological therapy. Specific arrangements must be made for careful
monitoring of adverse drug reactions, as well as for reviewing mental state and
general progress; for example, weekly contact with the child or young person
and their parent(s) or carer(s) for the first 4 weeks of treatment. The precise
frequency will need to be decided on an individual basis, and recorded in the
notes. In the event that psychological therapies are declined, medication may
still be given, but as the young person will not be reviewed at psychological
therapy sessions, the prescribing doctor should closely monitor the child or
young person's progress on a regular basis and focus particularly on emergent
adverse drug reactions. [2015]
1.6.4.2 If an antidepressant is to be prescribed this should only be following
assessment and diagnosis by a child and adolescent psychiatrist. [2005]
1.6.4.3 When an antidepressant is prescribed to a child or young person with
moderate to severe depression, it should be fluoxetine[4]
as this is the only
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antidepressant for which clinical trial evidence shows that the benefits
outweigh the risks. [2005]
1.6.4.4 If a child or young person is started on antidepressant medication, they (and
their parent(s) or carer(s) as appropriate) should be informed about the
rationale for the drug treatment, the delay in onset of effect, the time course of
treatment, the possible side effects, and the need to take the medication as
prescribed. Discussion of these issues should be supplemented by written
information appropriate to the child or young person's and parents' or carers'
needs that covers the issues described above and includes the latest patient
information advice from the relevant regulatory authority. [2005]
1.6.4.5 A child or young person prescribed an antidepressant should be closely
monitored for the appearance of suicidal behaviour, self-harm or hostility,
particularly at the beginning of treatment, by the prescribing doctor and the
healthcare professional delivering the psychological therapy. Unless it is felt
that medication needs to be started immediately, symptoms that might be
subsequently interpreted as side effects should be monitored for 7 days before
prescribing. Once medication is started the patient and their parent(s) or
carer(s) should be informed that if there is any sign of new symptoms of these
kinds, urgent contact should be made with the prescribing doctor. [2005]
1.6.4.6 When fluoxetine[4]
is prescribed for a child or young person with depression, the
starting dose should be 10 mg daily. This can be increased to 20 mg daily after
1 week if clinically necessary, although lower doses should be considered in
children of lower body weight. There is little evidence regarding the
effectiveness of doses higher than 20 mg daily. However, higher doses may be
considered in older children of higher body weight and/or when, in severe
illness, an early clinical response is considered a priority. [2005]
1.6.4.7 When an antidepressant is prescribed in the treatment of a child or young
person with depression and a self-report rating scale is used as an adjunct to
clinical judgement, this should be a recognised scale such as the Mood and
Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). [2005]
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1.6.4.8 When a child or young person responds to treatment with fluoxetine[4]
,
medication should be continued for at least 6 months after remission (defined
as no symptoms and full functioning for at least 8 weeks); in other words, for
6 months after this 8-week period. [2005]
1.6.4.9 If treatment with fluoxetine is unsuccessful or is not tolerated because of side
effects, consideration should be given to the use of another antidepressant. In
this case sertraline or citalopram are the recommended second-line
treatments[5]
. [2005]
1.6.4.10Sertraline or citalopram should only be used when the following criteria have
been met[5]
.
The child or young person and their parent(s) or carer(s) have been fully involved in
discussions about the likely benefits and risks of the new treatment and have been
provided with appropriate written information. This information should cover the
rationale for the drug treatment, the delay in onset of effect, the time course of
treatment, the possible side effects, and the need to take the medication as
prescribed; it should also include the latest patient information advice from the
relevant regulatory authority.
The child or young person's depression is sufficiently severe and/or causing
sufficiently serious symptoms (such as weight loss or suicidal behaviour) to justify a
trial of another antidepressant.
There is clear evidence that there has been a fair trial of the combination of
fluoxetine and a psychological therapy (in other words that all efforts have been
made to ensure adherence to the recommended treatment regimen).
There has been a reassessment of the likely causes of the depression and of
treatment resistance (for example other diagnoses such as bipolar disorder or
substance abuse).
There has been advice from a senior child and adolescent psychiatrist – usually a
consultant.
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The child or young person and/or someone with parental responsibility for the child
or young person (or the young person alone, if over 16 or deemed competent) has
signed an appropriate and valid consent form. [2005]
1.6.4.11 When a child or young person responds to treatment with citalopram or
sertraline[5]
, medication should be continued for at least 6 months after
remission (defined as no symptoms and full functioning for at least 8 weeks).
[2005]
1.6.4.12When an antidepressant other than fluoxetine[4]
is prescribed for a child or
young person with depression, the starting dose should be half the daily
starting dose for adults. This can be gradually increased to the daily dose for
adults over the next 2 to 4 weeks if clinically necessary, although lower doses
should be considered in children with lower body weight. There is little
evidence regarding the effectiveness of the upper daily doses for adults in
children and young people, but these may be considered in older children of
higher body weight and/or when, in severe illness, an early clinical response is
considered a priority. [2005]
1.6.4.13Paroxetine and venlafaxine should not be used for the treatment of depression
in children and young people. [2005]
1.6.4.14Tricyclic antidepressants should not be used for the treatment of depression in
children and young people. [2005]
1.6.4.15Where antidepressant medication is to be discontinued, the drug should be
phased out over a period of 6 to 12 weeks with the exact dose being titrated
against the level of discontinuation/withdrawal symptoms. [2005]
1.6.4.16As with all other medications, consideration should be given to possible drug
interactions when prescribing medication for depression in children and young
people. This should include possible interactions with complementary and
alternative medicines as well as with alcohol and 'recreational' drugs. [2005]
1.6.4.17Although there is some evidence that St John's wort may be of some benefit in
adults with mild to moderate depression, this cannot be assumed for children
or young people, for whom there are no trials upon which to make a clinical
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decision. Moreover, it has an unknown side-effect profile and is known to
interact with a number of other drugs, including contraceptives. Therefore St
John's wort should not be prescribed for the treatment of depression in children
and young people. [2005]
1.6.4.18A child or young person with depression who is taking St John's wort as an
over-the-counter preparation should be informed of the risks and advised to
discontinue treatment while being monitored for recurrence of depression and
assessed for alternative treatments in accordance with this guideline. [2005]
1.6.5 The treatment of psychotic depression
1.6.5.1 For children and young people with psychotic depression, augmenting the
current treatment plan with an atypical antipsychotic medication[6]
should be
considered, although the optimum dose and duration of treatment are
unknown. [2005]
1.6.5.2 Children and young people prescribed an atypical antipsychotic medication
should be monitored carefully for side effects. [2005]
1.6.6 Inpatient care
1.6.6.1 Inpatient treatment should be considered for children and young people who
present with a high risk of suicide, high risk of serious self-harm or high risk of
self-neglect, and/or when the intensity of treatment (or supervision) needed is
not available elsewhere, or when intensive assessment is indicated. [2005]
1.6.6.2 When considering admission for a child or young person with depression, the
benefits of inpatient treatment need to be balanced against potential
detrimental effects, for example loss of family and community support. [2005]
1.6.6.3 When inpatient treatment is indicated, CAMHS professionals should involve
the child or young person and their parent(s) or carer(s) in the admission and
treatment process whenever possible. [2005]
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1.6.6.4 Commissioners and strategic health authorities should ensure that inpatient
treatment is available within reasonable travelling distance to enable the
involvement of families and maintain social links. [2005]
1.6.6.5 Commissioners and strategic health authorities should ensure that inpatient
services are able to admit a young person within an appropriate timescale,
including immediate admission if necessary. [2005]
1.6.6.6 Inpatient services should have a range of interventions available including
medication, individual and group psychological therapies and family support.
[2005]
1.6.6.7 Inpatient facilities should be age appropriate and culturally enriching, with the
capacity to provide appropriate educational and recreational activities. [2005]
1.6.6.8 Planning for aftercare arrangements should take place before admission or as
early as possible after admission and should be based on the Care
Programme Approach. [2005]
1.6.6.9 Tier 4 CAMHS professionals involved in assessing children or young people for
possible inpatient admission should be specifically trained in issues of consent
and capacity, the use of current mental health legislation and the use of
childcare laws, as they apply to this group of patients. [2005]
1.6.7 Electroconvulsive therapy
1.6.7.1 ECT should only be considered for young people with very severe depression
and either life-threatening symptoms (such as suicidal behaviour) or intractable
and severe symptoms that have not responded to other treatments. [2005]
1.6.7.2 ECT should be used extremely rarely in young people and only after careful
assessment by a practitioner experienced in its use and only in a specialist
environment in accordance with NICE recommendations. [2005]
1.6.7.3 ECT is not recommended in the treatment of depression in children
(5–11 years). [2005]
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1.6.8 Discharge after a first episode
1.6.8.1 When a child or young person is in remission (less than two symptoms and full
functioning for at least 8 weeks) they should be reviewed regularly for
12 months by an experienced CAMHS professional. The exact frequency of
contact should be agreed between the CAMHS professional and the child or
young person and/or the parent(s) or carer(s) and recorded in the notes. At the
end of this period, if remission is maintained, the young person can be
discharged to primary care. [2005]
1.6.8.2 CAMHS should keep primary care professionals up to date about progress and
the need for monitoring of the child or young person in primary care. CAMHS
should also inform relevant primary care professionals within 2 weeks of a
patient being discharged and should provide advice about whom to contact in
the event of a recurrence of depressive symptoms. [2005]
1.6.8.3 Children and young people who have been successfully treated and
discharged but then re-referred should be seen as soon as possible rather
than placed on a routine waiting list. [2005]
1.6.9 Recurrent depression and relapse prevention
1.6.9.1 Specific follow-up psychological therapy sessions to reduce the likelihood of, or
at least detect, a recurrence of depression should be considered for children
and young people who are at a high risk of relapse (for example individuals
who have already experienced two prior episodes, those who have high levels
of subsyndromal symptoms, or those who remain exposed to multiple-risk
circumstances). [2005]
1.6.9.2 CAMHS specialists should teach recognition of illness features, early warning
signs, and subthreshold disorders to tier 1 professionals, children or young
people with recurrent depression and their families and carer(s).
Self-management techniques may help individuals to avoid and/or cope with
trigger factors. [2005]
1.6.9.3 When a child or young person with recurrent depression is in remission (less
than two symptoms and full functioning for at least 8 weeks) they should be
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reviewed regularly for 24 months by an experienced CAMHS professional. The
exact frequency of contact should be agreed between the CAMHS professional
and the child or young person and/or the parent(s) or carer(s) and recorded in
the notes. At the end of this period, if remission is maintained, the young
person can be discharged to primary care. [2005]
1.6.9.4 Children and young people with recurrent depression who have been
successfully treated and discharged but then re-referred should be seen as a
matter of urgency. [2005]
1.7 Transfer to adult services
1.7.1.1 The CAMHS team currently providing treatment and care for a young person
aged 17 who is recovering from a first episode of depression should normally
continue to provide treatment until discharge is considered appropriate in
accordance with this guideline, even when the person turns 18 years of age.
[2005]
1.7.1.2 The CAMHS team currently providing treatment and care for a young person
aged 17–18 who either has ongoing symptoms from a first episode that are not
resolving or has, or is recovering from, a second or subsequent episode of
depression should normally arrange for a transfer to adult services, informed
by the Care Programme Approach. [2005]
1.7.1.3 A young person aged 17–18 with a history of recurrent depression who is
being considered for discharge from CAMHS should be provided with
comprehensive information about the treatment of depression in adults
(including the NICE 'Information for the public' version for adult depression)
and information about local services and support groups suitable for young
adults with depression. [2005]
1.7.1.4 A young person aged 17–18 who has successfully recovered from a first
episode of depression and is discharged from CAMHS should not normally be
referred on to adult services, unless they are considered to be at high risk of
relapse (for example, if they are living in multiple-risk circumstances). [2005]
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[2]
At the time of publication (March 2015), fluoxetine did not have UK marketing authorisation for
use in young people (aged 12–18), without a previous trial of psychological therapy that was
ineffective. For combined antidepressant treatment and psychological therapy as an initial
treatment, the prescriber should follow relevant professional guidance, taking full responsibility
for the decision. Informed consent should be obtained and documented. See the General
Medical Council's Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices for further
information.
[3]
At the time of publication (March 2015), fluoxetine was the only antidepressant with UK
marketing authorisation for use for children and young people aged 8 to 18 years.
[4]
At the time of publication (March 2015), fluoxetine did not have a UK marketing authorisation
for use in children under the age of 8 years. The prescriber should follow relevant professional
guidance, taking full responsibility for the decision. Informed consent should be obtained and
documented. See the General Medical Council's Good practice in prescribing and managing
medicines and devices for further information.
[5]
At the time of publication (March 2015), sertraline and citalopram did not have a UK marketing
authorisation for use in young people under the age of 18 years. The prescriber should follow
relevant professional guidance, taking full responsibility for the decision. Informed consent
should be obtained and documented. See the General Medical Council's Good practice in
prescribing and managing medicines and devices for further information.
[6]
At the time of publication (March 2015), risperidone did not have a UK marketing authorisation
for use in young people under the age of 18 years. The prescriber should follow relevant
professional guidance, taking full responsibility for the decision. Informed consent should be
obtained and documented. See the General Medical Council's Good practice in prescribing and
managing medicines and devices for further information.
.
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2 Research recommendations
In 2005, the Guideline Development Group made the following recommendations for research,
based on its review of evidence, to improve NICE guidance and patient care in the future. The
recommendations labelled [2015] were reviewed during the 2015 update by the standing
committee, who decided to keep them in the guideline.
As part of the 2015 update, the Standing Committee made an additional research
recommendation on the combination of psychological therapy and antidepressants. This can be
found in the addendum.
2.1 An appropriately blinded, randomised controlled trial should be conducted to
assess the efficacy (including measures of family and social functioning as well
as depression) and the cost effectiveness of individual CBT, systemic family
therapy and child psychodynamic psychotherapy compared with each other
and treatment as usual in a broadly based sample of children and young
people diagnosed with moderate to severe depression (using minimal
exclusion criteria). The trial should be powered to examine the effect of
treatment in children and young people separately and involve a follow-up of
12 to 18 months (but no less than 6 months). [2015]
2.2 An appropriately blinded, randomised controlled trial should be conducted to
assess the efficacy (including measures of family and social functioning as well
as depression) and the cost effectiveness of fluoxetine, psychological therapy,
the combination of fluoxetine and psychological therapy compared with each
other and placebo in a broadly based sample of children and young people
diagnosed with moderate to severe depression (using minimal exclusion
criteria).The trial should be powered to examine the effect of treatment in
children and young people separately and involve a follow up of 12 to
18 months (but no less than 6 months). [2015]
Additional research
2.3 An appropriately blinded, randomised controlled trial should be conducted to
assess the efficacy (including measures of family and social functioning as well
as depression) and the cost effectiveness of another self-help intervention
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compared with computerised CBT and treatment as usual in a sample of
children and young people treated in primary care who have been diagnosed
with depression. The trial should be powered to examine the effect of
treatment in children and young people separately and involve a follow-up of
12 to 18 months (but no less than 6 months). [2015]
2.4 A qualitative study should be conducted that examines the experiences in the
care pathway of children and young people and their families (and perhaps
professionals) in order to inform decisions about what the most appropriate
care pathway should be. [2005]
2.5 An appropriately designed study should be conducted to compare validated
screening instruments for the detection of depression in children and young
people. An emphasis should be placed on examining those that use computer
technology and more child-friendly methods of assessing current mood and
feelings, and take into account cultural and ethnic variations in communication,
family values and the place of the child or young person within the family.
[2005]
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3 Other information
3.1 Scope and how this guideline was developed
The scope for the 2005 guideline covers the recommendations labelled [2005]. The
recommendations labelled [2015] or [new 2015] have been produced during the update.
How this guideline was developed
The 2005 guideline was developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.
The Collaborating Centre worked with a Guideline Development Group, comprising
healthcare professionals (including consultants, GPs and nurses), patients and carers, and
technical staff, which reviewed the evidence and drafted the recommendations. The
recommendations were finalised after public consultation.
NICE's Clinical Guidelines Update Programme updated this guideline in 2015. This guideline
was updated using a Standing Committee of healthcare professionals, methodologists and
lay members from a range of disciplines and localities, as well as topic experts.
The methods and processes for developing NICE clinical guidelines can be found here.
3.2 Related NICE guidance
Details are correct at the time of publication (March 2015). Further information is available on the
NICE website.
Published
General
Medicines adherence (2009) NICE guideline CG76
Condition-specific
Self-harm: longer-term management (2011) NICE guideline CG133
Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder (2011) NICE guideline CG113
Social and emotional wellbeing in secondary education (2009) NICE guideline PH20
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Depression in adults with a chronic physical health problem (2009) NICE guideline CG91
Depression in adults (2009) NICE guideline CG90
Computerised cognitive behaviour therapy for depression and anxiety (2006) NICE
technology appraisal guidance 97
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (2005) NICE guideline CG26
Self-harm: short-term management (2004) NICE guideline CG16
Eating disorders (2004) NICE guideline CG9
Under development
NICE is developing the following guidance (details available from the NICE website):
Transition from children's to adult services. NICE guideline. Publication expected February
2016
Transition between inpatient mental health settings and community and care home settings.
NICE guideline. Publication expected August 2016
Child abuse and neglect. NICE guideline. Publication date to be confirmed
Social and emotional wellbeing in primary and secondary education. Public Health Guidance
update. Publication date to be confirmed
3.3 Standing Committee
Members of Standing Committee B and the topic experts for the 2015 update are listed on the
NICE website.
For the composition of the previous Guideline Development Group, see the full guideline.
3.4 Clinical Guidelines Update Team
Philip Alderson
Clinical Adviser
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Emma Banks
Co-ordinator
Elizabeth Barrett
Information Scientist
Paul Crosland
Health Economist
Nicole Elliott
Associate Director
Kathryn Hopkins
Technical Analyst
Susannah Moon
Programme Manager
Rebecca Parsons
Project Manager
Charlotte Purves
Administrator
Toni Tan
Technical Advisor
3.5 NICE project team
Martin Allaby
Clinical Lead
Ben Doak
Guideline Commissioning Manager
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James Hall
Editor
Mark Baker
Guideline Lead
Judith Thornton
Technical Lead
Jennifer Wells
Guideline Coordinator
3.6 Declarations of interests
The following members of the Standing Committee made declarations of interest under the new
NICE policy (2014). All other members of the Committee stated that they had no interests to
declare.
Committee
member
Interest declared Type of
interest
Decision
taken
Susan Bewley Self-employed academic and obstetric expert Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Susan Bewley 100 hour per annum teaching contract with
Kings College London
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 38 of 63
Susan Bewley In the last 12 months received income or fees
for:
Research projects as a principal or
co-investigator or giving expert advice
(presently these include projects on major
postpartum haemorrhage, the organisation of
maternity care, gestation time for abortion)
Academic supervision (PhD on
implementation of external cephalic version,
chair of 35/39 TSC on the timing of induction)
Teaching (BSc law and ethics tutor at KCL,
occasional fees for lectures on obstetrics)
Medico-legal reports (approx. 2/year) and
Medical Defence Union cases committee and
council
External reviews for NHS organisations
related to my obstetric expertise (serious
incident and maternal mortality investigations,
RCOG review)
Chairing NICE GDG
Expert advice to NHS Quest (development of
a maternity 'safety thermometer')
Royalties from edited books
Advice to Marie Stopes International about
obstetric standards
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 39 of 63
Susan Bewley Expenses paid to attend conferences to lecture
on obstetric topics. In the last year this included
speaking to a Human Rights conference at the
Hague, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the
International Society of Psychosomatic
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and attending the
British Maternal Fetal Medicine Society
conference. Received a community grant to
attend the British HIV Association conference
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Susan Bewley Joint intellectual property rights in a new
neonatal resuscitation trolley, but these were
negotiated to be handed over to Liverpool
University and Inditherm. In return, the inventors
have negotiated that a fee generated on the sale
of each trolley will be given to charity
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Susan Bewley Expressed views in publications about obstetric
matters, largely based on evidence
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Susan Bewley A trustee and committee member of
Healthwatch (a charity devoted to evidence and
"for treatments that work") and a trustee of
Sophia (a charity devoted to women with HIV
and the UK arm of the Global Coalition for
Women and AIDS)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
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guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 40 of 63
Susan Bewley Member of the following editorial boards:
Medical Law Review, International Journal of
Childbirth, JASS (Journal Article Summary
Service); Member of the London Clinical Senate;
Member of the Mayor's Office for Policing and
Crime Violence Against Women and Girls Panel;
Member All-Parliamentary Party Group on
Maternity; Trustee of Maternity Action (a charity
which aims to end inequality and improve the
health and well-being of pregnant women,
partners and young children), one of seven
members of the Women's Health and Equality
Consortium which is a Strategic Partner of the
Department of Health
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Susan Bewley Expert advice to Salamander Trust (funded by
WHO to perform a global community
consultation of women living with HIV to inform
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Human
Rights guideline update)
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Susan Bewley Expenses paid to attend and present at
'Changing Motherhood' and 'Assisted
reproduction that harms' conferences
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Gita Bhutani Chair of Psychological Professions Network
North West
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Gita Bhutani Member of British Psychological Society;
Division of Clinical Psychology; Faculty of
Leadership and Management Committee
Member
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Gita Bhutani Project lead on BPS Division of Clinical
Psychology project on 'Comprehensively
representing the complexity of psychological
services'
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 41 of 63
Gita Bhutani Analytical support in partnership with Liverpool
University on Liverpool Health Partners project
on Patient Quality and Safert
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Simon Corbett Network Service Adviser for the British
Cardiovascular Society. This role incorporates
the regional specialty adviser role for the Royal
College of Physicians
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Simon Corbett Acting Director for Clinical Effectiveness for
employer (University Hospital Southampton
NHS Foundation Trust). Part of this role involves
the dissemination and implementation of NICE
guidance in the Trust
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
John Graham Director of National Collaborating Centre for
Cancer – this post is funded through a contract
with NICE to produce NICE's clinical guidelines
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
John Graham Principal investigator for ongoing clinical trials in
prostate cancer:
1) With Custirsen funded by OncoGenex
Technologies Inc and Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries Ltd
2) Orteronel Affinity Trial funded by Millenium
Pharmaceuticals Inc
3) Principal investigator for a study of
radium-223 in prostate cancer that is funded by
Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
John Graham Principal investigator for 8 ongoing clinical trials
in breast and prostate cancer run via the
National Cancer Research Network (not
pharmaceutical industry funded)
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
John Graham Member of the trial management groups for
2 prostate cancer trials: RT01 and CHHIP. Both
are closed to recruitment but continuing to report
trial results
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 42 of 63
John Graham Consultancy work for NICE International on a
project with the Philippines Department of
Health to produce clinical guidelines on breast
cancer. Travel expenses paid
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
John Graham Council member of the South-West England
Clinical Senate
Personal
non-financial
non specific
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Investigator in research studies sponsored by
various companies with payment for expenses
to NHS Trust and department which fund
research staff. Recent studies have been on
behalf of Millenium, Astellas, Ipsen and Amgen
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists and
member of Faculty Board, Specialist Training
Board and Chair of Exam Board
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Consultant to the IAEA; Undertake by invitation
lectures and working group meetings for which
expenses may be paid
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Department reimbursed for studies on
alpharadin by Astellas
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Department reimbursed for studies on MDV
3100 by Medivation. and Astellas
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Department receives grants from Astellas for
trials in prostate cancer
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Department receives grants from Bayer for trials
in prostate cancer
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 43 of 63
Peter Hoskin Department received grants from Millennium for
trials in prostate cancer
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Trustee for funding research within the unit/
department. Funded by Donations/Legacies. No
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma research has been
funded in the last 12 months
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Chair Steering Group for National Cancer
Intelligence Network (NCIN)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Member of the faculty board of the Royal
College of Radiologists
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Member of the specialist training committee for
the Royal College of Radiologists
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Editorial board member for the Journal of
Contemporary Brachytherapy
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Member of the East of England senate Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Peter Hoskin Member of the NICE standing committee for
rapid updates / and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
GDG
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Roberta
James
Programme Lead at Scottish Intercollegiate
Guidelines Network (SIGN)
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Roberta
James
Member of Guideline Implementability Research
and Application network (GIRAnet)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
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guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 44 of 63
Roberta
James
Expert group member of Project on a
Framework for Rating Evidence in Public Health
(PRECEPT)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Member of the National Clinical Reference
Group for Fetal Medicine
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Co-chair of the "Improving Outcomes" working
group, South West London Maternity Network
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Associate Editor for the journal Biomedical
Central Pregnancy and Childbirth
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Member of the Maternal and Fetal Medicine
National Clinical Study Group
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Assistant Convenor for the MRCOG Part1
course, RCOG
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Principal Investigator at St George's Hospital for
several NIHR funded studies, e.g. Non-invasive
Prenatal Testing
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Chief Investigator for Cardiovascular changes in
Pregnancy (CVP) study and Quantitative fetal
fibronectin, Cervical length and ActimPartus® for
the prediction of Preterm birth in Symptomatic
women (QFCAPS)
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Asma Khalil Collaboration with commercial companies, such
as USCOM®, Roche Diagnostics®, Alere
Diagnostics® and proact medical Ltd® (research
equipment and/or consumables)
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 45 of 63
Asma Khalil Reviewer for the National Maternal Near-miss
Surveillance Programme (UKNes)
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry Public member of Pennine Care NHS FT in the
capacity as a carer
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry PPI representative for the Health Research
Authority (London)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry PPI representative for the Health Quality
Improvement Partnership (London)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry PPI representative for the Primary Care
Research in Manchester Engagement Resource
group at the University of Manchester
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry Carer representative on NICE Guideline
Development Group: 'Transition between
inpatient hospital settings and community or
care home settings for adults with social care
needs'
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry Appointed Lay representative for the MSc
(Clinical Bioinformatics) at the University of
Manchester
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry Appointed 'Lay Educational Visitor' with the
Health and Care Professions Council. (London)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry Appointed Lay representative at the Clinical
Research Facility (collaboration between Central
Manchester University Hospital NHS FT/
University of Manchester)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 46 of 63
Manoj Mistry Public Representative Interviewer at the Medical
School, Lancaster University
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Manoj Mistry Public Member of NUHS 'Research for Patient
Benefit Programme Committee' (North West
region)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Provision of expert advice to Her Majesty's
Courts in cases of suspected child abuse
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Recipient of honoraria and expenses for lectures
and guidelines development from BioMarin
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Chairperson Skeletal Dysplasia Group for
Teaching and Research
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Chairperson Child Abuse Taskforce of the
European Society of Pediatric Radiology
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Member Joint RCR/RCPCH NAI Working Party
for Guideline Update - Imaging in Suspected
Non-Accidental Injury
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Member of the Royal College of Radiology
Academic Committee
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Committee member of the International
Consortium for Vertebral Anomalies and
Scoliosis
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Member of South Yorkshire (Sheffield) Research
Ethics Committee
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 47 of 63
Amaka Offiah Medical Academic Staff Committee
Representative of the Yorkshire Regional
Council of the BMA
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Partner Governor of the Sheffield Children's
NHS Foundation Trust (representing the
University of Sheffield)
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Editorial Committee Member of the journal
Paediatric Radiology
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Recipient of research funding from NIHR,
ARUK, The Sheffield Children's Charity, Skeletal
Dysplasia Group for Teaching and Research
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Amaka Offiah Member of the Sheffield Children's Hospital
Research and Innovations Committee
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Mark Rodgers Associate editor of the journal Systematic
Reviews that publishes research on health and
social care
Personal
non-financial
non-specific
interest
Declare
and
participate
Mark Rodgers Research fellow in health services research; has
provided independent academic reviews of
clinical effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy
evidence for funders including NIHR and NICE
Non-personal
non-financial
non-specific
interest
Declare
and
participate
Mark Rodgers Employee of the Centre for Reviews and
Dissemination (University of York) which
provides Evidence Review Group (ERG) reports
and Technology Assessment Reports (TARs) as
part of the NICE technology appraisals process
Non-personal
financial
non-specific
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 48 of 63
Nicholas Steel Currently finishing work as the principal
investigator on a National Institute of Health
Research (NIHR) funded project on: 'Are NICE
clinical guidelines for primary care based on
evidence from primary care?'
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
Health Services & Delivery Research
Programme Healthcare Delivery Research
Panel member
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel NIHR Regional Advisory Committee for the
Research for Patient Benefit Programme East of
England region
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel Norfolk & Suffolk Primary & Community Care
Research Steering Group
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence
Awards (ACCEA) East of England
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel 'Implementation Science' Editorial Board
member
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel 'Quality in Primary Care' Editorial Board member Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel Faculty of Public Health Part A MFPH Examiner Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel Faculty of Public Health Part A MFPH
Development Committee
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 49 of 63
Nicholas Steel Honorary Public Health Academic Consultant,
Public Health England
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Nicholas Steel Publication in press: Steel N, Abdelhamid A,
Stokes T, Edwards H, Fleetcroft R, Howe A,
Qureshi N. Publications cited in national clinical
guidelines for primary care were of uncertain
relevance: literature review. In Press Journal of
Clinical Epidemiology
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Sietse
Wieringa
At the Centre for Primary care & Public Health at
Barts & The London School of Medicine &
Dentistry/Queen Mary University I am working
on a literature review of 'mindlines' (related to
communities of practice) and a qualitative study
of a large group of GPs on a virtual social
network sharing medical knowledge. I was
funded for this via an NIHR In practice fellowship
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Sietse
Wieringa
I co-own a small social enterprise called
ZorgIdee that develops ideas to help GPs to
collaborate. There are no current funders
Personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Sietse
Wieringa
Board member of the Platform of Medical
Leadership in the Netherlands, via which I am
involved in a mixed methods study for the
development of a medical leadership
competency framework. The study group
receives funds from KNMG (Royal Dutch
College of Medicine) and SBOH which receives
its funds from the Dutch Ministry of Health
Non-personal
financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Sietse
Wieringa
Member of Generation Next, a think tank and
network of young GPs. It's indirectly funded by
the Ministry of Health
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 50 of 63
Sietse
Wieringa
Member of NHG (Dutch GP Society), which
produces guidelines and I worked for this
organisation in the past
Personal
non-financial
interest
Declare
and
participate
Topic-specific
member
Interest declared Type of
interest
Decision
Peter Fonagy None N/A No action
Lynn
Henderson
Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery
Council (Registered Nurse - Learning
Disabilities)
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Lynn
Henderson
Graduate Membership of the British
Psychological Society; Division of Clinical
Psychology
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Lynn
Henderson
Membership of the British Association of
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
Personal
non-financial
Declare
and
participate
Peta Mees None No action
Maria
Moldavsky
None No action
Anna Wilson None No action
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
management in primary, community and secondary care
NICE clinical
guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 51 of 63
Appendix A: Glossary
Active listening A way of listening that focuses entirely on what the other person is saying and
confirms understanding of both the content of the message and the emotions and feelings
underlying the message to ensure that understanding is accurate.
Adherence The behaviour of taking medicine according to treatment dosage and schedule as
intended by the prescriber. In this guideline, the term adherence is used in preference to the term
compliance, but is not synonymous with concordance, which has a number of different uses and
meanings.
Adverse drug reaction Any undesirable experience that results from the administration of a
pharmacologically active agent.
Bipolar disorder This condition is also known as manic depression. It is an illness that affects
mood, causing a person to switch between feeling very low (depression) and very high (mania).
CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service(s).
CAMHS link worker See Primary mental health worker
Care Programme Approach (CPA) Introduced in 1991, this approach was designed to ensure
that different community services are coordinated and work together towards a particular
person's care. This approach requires that professionals from the health authority and local
authority get together to arrange care, and applies to all patients accepted for care by the
specialist mental health services.
Child An individual aged 5–11 years.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA) An interviewer-based diagnostic
interview with versions for use with children and their parent(s).
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) A range of behavioural and cognitive behavioural
therapies, in part derived from the cognitive behavioural model of affective disorders, in which
the patient works collaboratively with a therapist using a shared formulation to achieve specific
treatment goals. These may include recognising the impact of behavioural and/or thinking
Depression in children and young people: Identification and
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guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 52 of 63
patterns on feeling states and encouraging alternative cognitive and/or behavioural coping skills
to reduce the severity of target symptoms and problems.
Conversational technique This term is used in the guideline to emphasise the importance of a
two-way communication. A collaboration between patient and healthcare professional aims to
ensure that the patient feels able to express their feelings in the healthcare setting safe in the
knowledge that their healthcare professional will listen.
Depression (major depressive disorder) The guideline uses the ICD-10 definition in which 'an
individual usually suffers from depressed mood, loss of interest and enjoyment, and reduced
energy leading to increased fatiguability and diminished activity. Marked tiredness after only
slight effort is common. Other symptoms are: (a) reduced concentration and attention; (b)
reduced self-esteem and self-confidence; (c) ideas of guilt and unworthiness (even in a mild type
of episode); (d) bleak and pessimistic views of the future; (e) ideas or acts of self-harm or
suicide; (f) disturbed sleep; (g) diminished appetite.'
Depression unresponsive to treatment Depression that has failed to respond to two or more
antidepressants taken at an adequate dose for an adequate duration given sequentially.
Dysphoria An emotional state characterised by malaise, anxiety, depression or unease.
Dysthymia A chronic depression of mood which does not currently fulfil the criteria for recurrent
depressive disorder, of mild or moderate severity, in terms of either severity or duration of
individual episodes. There are variable phases of mild depression and comparative normality.
Despite tiredness, feeling down and not enjoying much, people with dysthymia are usually able
to cope with everyday life.
Effectiveness The extent to which a specific intervention, when used under ordinary
circumstances, does what it is intended to do. Clinical trials that assess effectiveness are
sometimes called management trials.
Efficacy The extent to which an intervention produces a beneficial result under ideal conditions.
Clinical trials that assess efficacy are sometimes called explanatory trials and are restricted to
participants who fully cooperate. The randomised controlled trial is the accepted 'gold standard'
for evaluating the efficacy of an intervention.
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guideline 28
© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 53 of 63
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) A therapeutic procedure in which an electric current is briefly
applied to the brain to produce a seizure. This is used for treatment of severe depression
symptoms or to ease depression that isn't responding well to other forms of treatment. It is
sometimes called convulsive therapy, electroshock therapy or shock therapy.
Family therapy Family therapy sessions based on systemic, cognitive behavioural or
psychoanalytic principles, which may include psychoeducational, problem-solving and crisis
management work, and might involve specific interventions with a depressed child or young
person.
Guided self-help A self-administered intervention designed to treat depression, which makes
use of a range of books or a self-help manual that is based on an evidence-based intervention
and is designed specifically for the purpose.
Guideline Development Group (GDG) The group of academic experts, clinicians and service
user representatives responsible for developing the guideline.
Guideline implementation Any intervention designed to support the implementation of guideline
recommendations.
Guideline recommendation A systematically developed statement that is derived from the best
available research evidence, using predetermined and systematic methods to identify and
evaluate evidence relating to the specific condition in question.
Healthcare professionals A generic term used in this guideline to coverall health professionals
such as GPs, psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, school doctors,
nurses (including school and community based), health visitors, counsellors, art therapists, music
therapists, drama therapists and family therapists who work with children and young people and
whose work may involve considering the young person's additional psychological needs.
Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) An interviewer-led
procedure for diagnostic assessment of depression including the severity of the current episode
designed for use by trained individuals with some clinical experience with participants aged
6–17 years.
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© NICE 2015. All rights reserved. Last modified March 2015 Page 54 of 63
Meta-analysis The use of statistical techniques in a systematic review to integrate the results of
several independent studies.
Mild depression Four depressive symptoms as defined by the ICD-10.
Moderate depression Five or six depressive symptoms as defined by the ICD-10.
Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) A self-report measure used to screen for depression.
Multidisciplinary review A comprehensive review of the child or young person's situation that
involves professionals additional to the therapist(s) delivering treatment. This review should
consider a range of sources of information including evidence of functioning at home, school and
other relevant settings and should take account of the wishes of the child or young person and
their parent(s) or carer(s).
Multidisciplinary team For the purposes of this guideline this term refers to professionals who
are involved in the care of a child or young person working in partnership across all tiers.
Members of the team are likely to include healthcare professionals (including CAMHS
professionals, GPs, health visitors and school nurses), teachers, social services and voluntary
agencies.
Non-directive supportive therapy (NDST) This therapy involves the planned delivery of direct
individual contact time with an empathic, concerned and skilled non-specialist CAMHS
professional to offer emotional support and non-directive problem solving as appropriate and to
review the child or young person's state (for example, depressive symptoms, school attendance,
suicidality, recent social activities) in order to assess whether specialist help is needed.
Primary mental health worker (PMHW) Sometimes also called 'CAMHS link worker'. This role
was described in NHS Health Advisory Service, Together We Stand (London: NHS Health
Advisory Service, 1995) and was recommended as a way of improving the relationship,
communication and collaboration between specialist mental health services (CAMHS) and the
wider network of services working with children, such as schools, youth and community services,
primary care, etc. Primary mental health workers tend to operate in tiers 1 and 2. In some parts
of the UK, including Scotland, this has led to the establishment of PMHW posts. In other areas
the role has been developed, but delivered in a variety of ways. In some cases, workers are
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employed specifically to deliver primary mental health work, whilst in others, this work is
achieved through an extension of pre-existing professional roles.
Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic child psychotherapy Psychodynamic interventions are
defined as psychological therapies derived from a psychodynamic/psychoanalytic model, and
where:
1. Therapist and patient explore and gain insight into conflicts and problem behaviours, modes of
thought and relating and how these are represented in current situations and relationships
including the therapy relationship (for example, transference and counter-transference).
2. This leads to patients being given an opportunity to explore through play, drawing, talking and
behaviour, feelings and conscious and unconscious conflicts, originating in the past or in learnt
behaviour. The technical focus is on interpreting and working through conflicts and recurrent
problematic areas of behaviour and relating as they manifest in the treatment situation.
3. Therapy is non-directive and recipients are not taught specific skills (such as thought
monitoring, re-evaluating, or problem solving).
Psychological therapies A group of treatment methods that involve psychosocial rather than
physical intervention. They include cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapy, systemic family
therapy, non-directive supportive therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, group psychotherapy,
counselling, art therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, guided self-help and any other form of
treatment that aims to be helpful through the communication of thoughts and feelings in the
presence of a therapist, who works with the material using a systematic framework for
understanding and responding to it.
Racial identity status An individual's perception of himself or herself as belonging to a racial
group; also the beliefs, morals and attitudes that are shared with a particular racial group in
contrast with other groups. It has been suggested that racial identity is integral to personality and
is a key dynamic factor in psychotherapeutic dyads.
Randomisation A method used to generate a random allocation sequence, such as using tables
of random numbers or computer-generated random sequences. The method of randomisation
should be distinguished from concealment of allocation, because if the latter is inadequate,
selection bias may occur despite the use of randomisation. For instance, a list of random
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numbers may be used to randomise participants, but if the list were open to the individuals
responsible for recruiting and allocating participants, those individuals could influence the
allocation process, either knowingly or unknowingly.
Randomised controlled trial (RCT) (also termed randomised clinical trial) An experiment in
which investigators randomly allocate eligible people into groups to receive or not to receive one
or more interventions that are being compared. The results are assessed by comparing
outcomes in the different groups. Through randomisation, the groups should be similar in all
aspects apart from the treatment they receive during the study.
Recurrent depression The development of a depressive disorder in a person who has
previously suffered from depression.
Relapse The reappearance of disease signs and symptoms after apparent remission. The
definitions of relapse used in the review in the guideline were those adopted by the individual
studies and varied between studies.
Remission Diminution or disappearance of symptoms.
Risk profiling A structured assessment and analysis of those factors in a child or young
person's environment and history that are known to increase the risk of depression.
Screening Screening is defined by the Guideline Development Group as a simple test
performed on a large number of people to identify those who have depression.
Self-help Any activity or lifestyle choice that an individual makes in the belief that it will confer
therapeutic benefit.
Severe depression Seven or more depressive symptoms as defined by the ICD-10.
Sleep hygiene Behavioural practices that promote continuous and effective sleep.
Stepped care A considered, organised, coordinated approach to screening, assessment,
treatment and onward referral by an individual practitioner, team or care provider organisation,
within the parameters of defined protocols or pathways. These approaches may or may not be
provided within the context of a fixed budget (for example, the Health Maintenance Organisation
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[HMO] in the USA). Local healthcare commissioning organisations are required to develop
protocols for the treatment of depression in primary care within the National Service Framework
for Mental Health.
Stepped-care model A sequence of treatment options offering simpler and less expensive
interventions first and more complex and expensive interventions if the patient has not benefited,
based on locally agreed protocols.
Subsyndromal depression (subthreshold depression) Depressive symptoms that fail to meet
the criteria for major depressive disorder. This type of depression is not covered by this
guideline.
Suicidal ideation Thoughts about suicide or of taking action to end one's own life.
Tier 1 Primary care services including GPs, paediatricians, health visitors, school nurses, social
workers, teachers, juvenile justice workers, voluntary agencies and social services.
Tier 2 CAMHS Services provided by professionals relating to workers in primary care including
clinical child psychologists, paediatricians with specialist training in mental health, educational
psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychotherapists,
counsellors, community nurses/nurse specialists and family therapists.
Tier 3 CAMHS Specialised services for more severe, complex or persistent disorders including
child and adolescent psychiatrists, clinical child psychologists, nurses (community or inpatient),
child and adolescent psychotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists,
art, music and drama therapists, and family therapists.
Tier 4 CAMHS Tertiary-level services such as day units, highly specialised outpatient teams and
inpatient units.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) The original class of antidepressants used to treat
depression by increasing levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline.
Watchful waiting An intervention in which no active treatment is offered to the person with
depression if, in the opinion of the healthcare professional, the person may recover without a
specific intervention. All such patients should be offered a follow-up appointment.
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Young person An individual aged between 12 and 18.
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About this guideline
NICE clinical guidelines are recommendations about the treatment and care of people with
specific diseases and conditions.
NICE guidelines are developed in accordance with a scope that defines what the guideline will
and will not cover.
This guideline was developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, which is
based at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The Collaborating Centre worked with a Guideline
Development Group, comprising healthcare professionals (including consultants, GPs and
nurses), patients and carers, and technical staff, which reviewed the evidence and drafted the
recommendations. The recommendations were finalised after public consultation.
The methods and processes for developing NICE clinical guidelines are described in the
guidelines manual.
NICE produces guidance, standards and information on commissioning and providing
high-quality healthcare, social care, and public health services. We have agreements to provide
certain NICE services to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Decisions on how NICE
guidance and other products apply in those countries are made by ministers in the Welsh
government, Scottish government, and Northern Ireland Executive. NICE guidance or other
products may include references to organisations or people responsible for commissioning or
providing care that may be relevant only to England.
Update information
Recommendations on psychological therapies and antidepressants have been added to and
updated in sections 1.5 and 1.6.
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Recommendations are marked as [new 2015], [2015] or [2005]:
[new 2015] indicates that the evidence has been reviewed and the recommendation has
been added or updated
[2015] if the evidence has been reviewed but no change has been made to the
recommendation
[2005] if the evidence has not been reviewed since the original guideline.
Strength of recommendations
Some recommendations can be made with more certainty than others. The Guideline
Development Group makes a recommendation based on the trade-off between the benefits and
harms of an intervention, taking into account the quality of the underpinning evidence. For some
interventions, the Guideline Development Group is confident that, given the information it has
looked at, most patients would choose the intervention. The wording used in the
recommendations in this guideline denotes the certainty with which the recommendation is made
(the strength of the recommendation).
For all recommendations, NICE expects that there is discussion with the patient about the risks
and benefits of the interventions, and their values and preferences. This discussion aims to help
them to reach a fully informed decision (see also patient-centred care).
Interventions that must (or must not) be used
We usually use 'must' or 'must not' only if there is a legal duty to apply the recommendation.
Occasionally we use 'must' (or 'must not') if the consequences of not following the
recommendation could be extremely serious or potentially life threatening.
Interventions that should (or should not) be used – a 'strong'
recommendation
We use 'offer' (and similar words such as 'refer' or 'advise') when we are confident that, for the
vast majority of patients, an intervention will do more good than harm, and be cost effective. We
use similar forms of words (for example, 'Do not offer…') when we are confident that an
intervention will not be of benefit for most patients.
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Interventions that could be used
We use 'consider' when we are confident that an intervention will do more good than harm for
most patients, and be cost effective, but other options may be similarly cost effective. The choice
of intervention, and whether or not to have the intervention at all, is more likely to depend on the
patient's values and preferences than for a strong recommendation, and so the healthcare
professional should spend more time considering and discussing the options with the patient.
Recommendation wording in guideline updates
NICE began using this approach to denote the strength of recommendations in guidelines that
started development after publication of the 2009 version of 'The guidelines manual' (January
2009). This does not apply to any recommendations ending [2005] or [2015] (see 'Update
information' box below for details about how recommendations are labelled). In particular, for
recommendations labelled [2005] or [2015], the word 'consider' may not necessarily be used to
denote the strength of the recommendation.
Other versions of this guideline
The full guideline, depression in children and young people: identification and management in
primary, community and secondary care, contains details of the methods and evidence used to
develop the guideline. It is published by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.
The recommendations from this guideline have been incorporated into a NICE pathway.
We have produced information for the public about this guideline.
Implementation
Implementation tools and resources to help you put the guideline into practice are also available.
Your responsibility
This guidance represents the view of NICE, which was arrived at after careful consideration of
the evidence available. Healthcare professionals are expected to take it fully into account when
exercising their clinical judgement. However, the guidance does not override the individual
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responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of
the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, and informed by
the summaries of product characteristics of any drugs.
Implementation of this guidance is the responsibility of local commissioners and/or providers.
Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement the
guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate
unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. Nothing in this
guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those
duties.
Copyright
© National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2015. All rights reserved. NICE copyright
material can be downloaded for private research and study, and may be reproduced for
educational and not-for-profit purposes. No reproduction by or for commercial organisations, or
for commercial purposes, is allowed without the written permission of NICE.
ISBN 978-1-4731-1041-0
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