ABSTRACT
Child psychiatrists face the increasingly complex task of deciding how best to manage children and adolescents presenting with mood disorders.
The aetiology of these conditions is multifactorial and, as evidence accumulates, it becomes apparent that they can be understood using a number of paradigms ranging from the genetic to the psychodynamic. Likewise, the modalities of treatment vary from pharmacological and physical forms to systemic, group, individual, cognitive-behavioural and interpersonal therapies. Here, we focus on understanding the mood disorders and their varied presentations in this age group from a psychopharmacological perspective and explore the various pharmacological treatments available to the clinician.
