Past Issues

Depressive disorders among adolescents that have high prevalence worldwide, are often unrecognized in the public and usually under-diagnosed clinically. After the US Food and Drug Administration’s black box warning about the increased suicidal attempts after using antidepressants since 2003, the use of antidepressants to treat adolescents with moderate to severe major depressive disorder has declined signifi cantly. To provide better service toward this particular population, the authors in this overview have reviewed the topics of recent development and advanced knowledge about the adolescent depressive disorders, including prevalence, risk factors, assessment with questionnaires, course, prognosis, and treatment. The data reported about depressive disorders about Taiwanese adolescents are also reviewed in this overview.