NHS guidance released last week says that doctors should initially offerchildren with moderate and even severe depression at least three months'therapy, and that any medication given after this should only be offeredin combination with further therapy.
In addition, the guidelines say children with mild depression should notbe given anti-depressants at all, but offered advice on diet andexercise.
Children taking anti-depressants have been advised to talk to their GPat their next review about the possibility of switching to apsychological treatment.
Dinah Morley, deputy director for mental health charity YoungMinds,welcomed the shift towards talking therapies but warned that the "verysignificant shortage of practitioners" meant it was likely that childrenwould end up waiting longer for treatment.
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