Who was the best heavyweight fighter of all time? There’s no definitive answer. It’s an argument meant to amuse. But some questions do deserve our best shot at a final consensus.

About one in twenty American teenagers suffers from depression. Some take medication for it. Others talk it through, using a method called cognitive behavioral therapy. Both show promising results, but is one superior? Researchers are trying to find out once and for all. A multi-center study is beginning that will recruit more than 400 kids, ages 12-17, who’ve been diagnosed with depression. Both methods will be tested, with the results known in about five years, says Johns Hopkins assistant professor of psychiatry, Dr. Golda Ginsburg.

We don’t know which works better, and maybe they’re equally effective. But this study will help us understand if one of the therapies alone, or the combination of the two works better – and for which children. :11

The idea is take some of the guesswork out of it, and choose the right method for a child in a prompt and scientific way.

At the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, I'm Tom Haederle reporting.

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