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Psychological Treatment for Adolescent Depression: Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Louise Hayes*
Affiliation:
School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Ballarat, Australia; Ballarat Health Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Ballarat, Australia. l.hayes@ballarat.edu.au
Patricia A. Bach
Affiliation:
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, United States of America.
Candice P. Boyd
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr Louise Hayes, Department of Behavioural, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Ballarat, PO Box 663, Mount Helen VIC 3353, Australia.
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Abstract

The objective of this review is to summarise the evidence for mindfulness and acceptance approaches in the treatment of adolescent depression. The article begins by summarising the outcomes of three broad approaches to the treatment of adolescent depression — primary prevention, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy — in order to advocate for advances in treatment. With regard to psychotherapy, we restrict this to comparisons of meta-analytic studies, in order to cover the breadth of the outcome literature. In the second half of this article, we introduce the reader to mindfulness and acceptance-based psychotherapy, with a particular focus on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and the applicability with adolescents. We provide an overview of the philosophical arguments that underlie this approach to psychotherapy and consider how each of these might contribute to treatment approaches for adolescents with depression.

Type
Standard Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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