Popular Acne Drug Helps Curb Depression in Teens

Accutane may lift teens' moods by reducing acne, but should not be used as a treatment for depression.

Accutane has long been suspected of causing depression in adolescents. But a recent Archives of Dermatology study found that teens who took Accutane were no more likely to show an increase in depressive symptoms than were those whose acne was being treated with antibiotics.

Study author Elaine Siegfried, M.D., a St. Louis University dermatologist, believes that the reduction in acne may lift teens' moods. She warned, however, that Accutane should not be used as a treatment for depression.