Electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation: Can they be considered valid modalities in the treatment of pediatric mood disorders?

Depression in children and adolescents is a severe and debilitating disorder and can be life endangering. Even when it is not life endangering, however, it has a grave impact on the quality of life of youngsters and their families and interferes with normal growth and development. In recent years, the field of child psychiatry has become more aware of the limited applicability of data from the adult literature to children and adolescents and the limited resources that child psychiatrists have in treating depression. This awareness substantiates the need to define the place of electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of pediatric depression.