Abstract:
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders diagnosed in children and adolescents. Many individuals benefit from pharmacotherapy including antidepressants, however, there is a fair likelihood of remission and recurrence. Of the several pathophysiologies, depression has been linked to inflammation. Complementary and alternative medications such as the use of omega-3 fatty acids are gaining popularity given their anti-inflammatory properties. The goal of this literature review is to assess the efficacy and the clinical use of omega-3 fatty acids in children and adolescents with depression. We conducted an extensive literature search on PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and PsycINFO from January 1, 2005, to September 2021, for published articles (case reports, systematic review, RCT) in any language. A total of seven published studies were included in our literature review. Results indicated a huge heterogenicity in the studies and hence the clinical use of omega-3 fatty acids as monotherapy in depression was not determined. However, it was well tolerated with an extremely low side effect profile. Further research on the use of omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunct to antidepressants would be valuable.
摘要:
抑郁症是儿童和青少年中最常见的精神障碍之一。许多人受益于药物治疗,包括抗抑郁药,然而,有缓解和复发的可能性。在几种病理生理学中,抑郁症与炎症有关。补充和替代药物,如使用omega-3脂肪酸,由于它们的抗炎特性,它们越来越受欢迎。这篇文献综述的目的是评估omega-3脂肪酸在儿童和青少年抑郁症患者中的疗效和临床应用。我们在PubMed上进行了广泛的文献检索,OvidMEDLINE,和PsycINFO从2005年1月1日到2021年9月,对于已发表的文章(病例报告,系统审查,RCT)使用任何语言。共有七项已发表的研究纳入我们的文献综述。结果表明研究中存在巨大的异质性,因此尚未确定omega-3脂肪酸作为抑郁症单一疗法的临床用途。然而,耐受性良好,副作用极低。关于使用omega-3脂肪酸作为抗抑郁药的助剂的进一步研究将是有价值的。