Summary of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts

Public Significance Statement This article summarizes the APA clinical practice guideline for the treatment of depression. Recommendations of treatments with known efficacy provide direction when considering how to intervene with individuals presenting with a depressive disorder, a leading cause of worldwide disability. The American Psychological Association (APA) developed this clinical practice guideline to provide recommendations for the treatment of depressive disorders, including major depression, subsyndromal depression, and persistent depressive disorder. It addresses three developmental cohorts: adolescents, general adults, and older adults (ages 60 and over). Ten systematic reviews and meta-analyses, along with other literature and observations from practitioners and patients, served as the basis for the guideline. The guideline development panel consisted of health professionals from psychology, psychiatry, and family medicine as well as community members who self-identified as having had depression. The panel examined the efficacy of psychological treatments and of complementary and alternative medicine treatments. It also examined comparative effectiveness among psychological treatments, by themselves and in combination with pharmacotherapy, and comparative effectiveness of psychological treatments in relation to pharmacotherapy and to complementary and alternative treatments. The panel made recommendations for treatment of depression in adolescents, adults, and older adults but did not make treatment recommendations specific to children. These recommendations, presented in detail in the guideline, are summarized here. The target audience for the guideline includes clinicians, researchers, patients, family members, and policymakers.