Efficacy of relaxation therapy combined with sertraline in the treatment of new-onset depressive episode in children and adolescents

BackgroundThe depressive episode is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses worldwide. Relaxation therapy as a psychotherapy for depressive disorder has shown itself to be a viable tool， yet the existing research on relaxation therapy combined with sertraline in the treatment of depressive episodes in children and adolescents is severely limited.ObjectiveTo discuss the effect of relaxation therapy combined with sertraline on the new-onset depressive episodes in children and adolescents， and to provide references for the treatment of depressive episodes in children and adolescents.MethodsFrom January 1， 2019 to December 31， 2020， a sample of 422 children and adolescents with depressive episodes attending the Child Mental Health Department of Sichuan Mental Health Center and fulfilling the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） diagnostic criteria were enrolled， and they were classified into study group （n=208） and control group （n=214） using random number table method. All participants were offered sertraline， based on this， study group was assigned to relaxation therapy for 25~30 min per day， five days per week for a period of two weeks. Hamilton Depression Scale 24-item （HAMD-24） and Hamilton Anxiety Scale （HAMA） were applied at the enrollment， the end of 2 weeks of treatment and the end of the 2nd week after discharge.ResultsA total of 369 patients completed the study， including 185 in study group and 184 in control group. Analysis on HAMD-24 scores revealed a significant time effect， group effect and time×group interaction effect （F=813.279， 17.625， 8 994.905， P<0.01）. Significant time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were noted on HAMA scores （F=635.041， 10.716， 13 945.986， P<0.01）. A reduction in HAMD-24 and HAMA scores was reported in study group at end of 2 weeks of treatment and end of the 2nd week after discharge compared with baseline （t=0.924， 0.359， P<0.01）. At the end of the 2nd week after discharge， study group scored lower on HAMD-24 and HAMA compared to control group （t=0.210， 0.720， P<0.05）. At the end of 2 weeks of treatment， study group resulted in greater improvements in depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms than those of control group （95.14% vs. 66.30%， 89.18% vs. 71.74%， χ2=78.942， 22.526， P<0.05）. The overall efficacy rate yielded no statistical difference between two groups at end of the 2nd week after discharge （P>0.05）， and no statistical difference was found in the adverse reactions between the two groups （P>0.05）.ConclusionCompared with sertraline alone， its combination with relaxation therapy may achieve a better short-term efficacy in the treatment of depressive episode in children and adolescents. ［Funded by Sichuan Medical Scientific Research Project （number， S18020）］