The research conducted in Oregon is complemented by another study focusing on the treatment of adolescent depression. Researchers at the University of Texas, Southwestern found that the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and switching to a new medication helped teenage patients who were not responding to their current medication. This result fascinated researchers because it was no different than the result of a similar study previously conducted with adult patients at UT-Southwestern. Dr. Emslie, one of the study's principal investigators, explained the importance of these findings, "One major question of psychiatrists is whether depression is different in adolescence. This research suggests this disease is present in adolescence and very similar to what happens in adulthood. It's important to identify and treat depression early."

It's clear that researchers like Dr. Emslie have a real reason to continually stress the importance of taking teenage depression seriously: eighty percent of teenagers suffering from depression do not receive adequate treatment. When left untreated, adolescent problems become adult problems: According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, half of the adolescents studied experienced some type depression again as young adults and another quarter were free from depression, but struggled with non-mood related disorders like drug and alcohol abuse. Only a quarter of the teenagers with untreated depression remained completely free from the illness as young adults.

While this research is troubling, other research suggests that the majority of teenagers who experience depression do not continue to experience the disorder as adults. A study conducted by researchers at UCLA Health Sciences found that sixty percent of teenagers who were depressed at age fifteen were not depressed at age twenty. This study takes a look at the many elements of depression and the many factors that affect individual experience of the illness. Simply struggling with depression as a teenager is not a guarantee that one will struggle with it as an adult; instead, many other issues come into play. For example, teenagers who are depressed at age 15 and have trouble maintaining normal social relationships are more likely to be depressed at age 20 than teenagers who are just depressed earlier in their lives. The study also found that women who are depressed at 15 are more likely to experience depression again at 20 than are men in the same situation.