Objectives: <\/strong>At least 30% of young people with chronic fatigue syndrome\/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS\/ME) also have symptoms of depression.<\/p>\n This systematic review aimed to establish which treatment approaches for depression are effective and whether comorbid depression mediates outcome.<\/p>\n Setting: <\/strong>A systematic review was undertaken. The search terms were entered into MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo and the Cochrane library.<\/p>\n Participants<\/strong>: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to identify relevant papers. Inclusion criteria were children age <18, with CFS\/ME, defined using CDC, NICE or Oxford criteria, and having completed a valid assessment for depression.<\/p>\n Results:<\/strong> 9 studies were identified which met the inclusion criteria, but none specifically tested treatments for paediatric CFS\/ME with depression and none stratified outcome for those who were depressed compared with those who were not depressed. There is no consistent treatment approach for children with CFS\/ME and comorbid depression, although cognitive-behavioural therapy for CFS\/ME and a multicomponent inpatient programme for CFS\/ME have shown some promise in reducing depressive symptoms. An antiviral medication in a small scale, retrospective, uncontrolled study suggested possible benefit.<\/p>\n Conclusions:<\/strong> It is not possible to determine what treatment approaches are effective for depression in paediatric CFS\/ME, nor to determine the impact of depression on the outcome of CFS\/ME treatment. Young people with significant depression tend to have been excluded from previous treatment studies.<\/p>\n Treatment for paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS\/ME) and comorbid depression:\u00a0a systematic review<\/a>, by Maria E Loades, Elizabeth A Sheils, Esther Crawley in<\/span> BMJ Open<\/em> Vol. 6, 11 October 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Review abstract: Objectives: At least 30% of young people with chronic fatigue syndrome\/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS\/ME) also have symptoms of depression. This systematic review aimed to establish which treatment approaches for depression are effective and whether comorbid depression mediates outcome. Setting: … Continue reading