Adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and either major or minor depression showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms after 12 sessions of a manual-based cognitive-behavioral therapy program, reported Eva Szigethy, M.D., of Children's Hospital Boston and her associates.
In a pilot study, 11 adolescents aged 12-17 years participated. Seven patients had Crohn's disease and four had ulcerative colitis, with an average of 40 months' duration (J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2004;43:1469-77).
Scores on the Children's Depression Inventory dropped from 16.18 before treatment to 4.82 after treatment. At baseline, all the teens reported depressed mood and anhedonia; 10 reported sleep disturbance and fatigue.
Although illness severity remained the same, the adolescents' own perception of their physical functioning improved by the end of the study period.