Effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics for unipolar and bipolar depression in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Antipsychotic medications are increasingly used for difficult-to-treat depression in young people. However, the evidence-base for this is unclear. Our aim was to assess the evidence for the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics in treating unipolar and bipolar depression in adolescents and young adults. Method: We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-control-trial studies (RCTs) of antipsychotic medications for 10-to 25-year-olds with unipolar and bipolar depression. The primary outcome of interest was change in depressive symptoms from baseline to trial endpoint. Results: No studies were identified that evaluated the use of antipsychotics in the treatment of unipolar depression. However, we identified four studies, of quetiapine, lurasidone and olanzapine/fluoxetine combina-tion, comprising a total of 866 randomized patients, that evaluated treatment of bipolar depression. All studies used the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Our meta-analysis revealed the weighted mean difference (WMD) was-4.58 (95 % CI,-6.59 to-2.57) between antipsychotic and placebo-treated groups. Response and remission rates were also significantly in favor of antipsychotic treatment. Limitations: There were few studies, several did not address risk-of-bias domains and there was a lack of non-industry sponsored studies. Conclusion: There is an absence of evidence for the use of antipsychotic medications in treatment of youth unipolar depression, and no recommendations can be made. There is some evidence for the efficacy of anti-psychotics, specifically lurasidone and olanzapine/fluoxetine combination, in the treatment of young people with bipolar depression. However, this evidence is limited and more studies investigating the use of these medications in young people are needed.

Automated summary

This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of antipsychotic medications in treating depression in adolescents and young adults. The results show that there is no clear evidence for the use of antipsychotics in the treatment of unipolar depression in young people, but they may be effective for bipolar depression. However, more studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore the use of these medications in young people.