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Teenagers and antidepressants |
Written by Sigrid Macdonald
Thursday, 09 June 2005
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At least five teenagers in Canada have died while being treated with antidepressants. Four of them killed themselves and another died of heart complications. At least 100 other children as young as 18 months old have experienced serious reactions to the pills. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States issued a black box warning for antidepressants, meaning that these pills will now contain warnings, saying that they may increase the risk of teen suicide .This is a real oxymoron. Antidepressants are what depressed people take to feel better, not worse! How could the cure end up causing the very condition that it was meant to treat? In the United States alone, almost one million people under the age of 18 are taking antidepressants. Preschoolers make up the fastest-growing segment of the antidepressant market. Even infants under one are being prescribed the drugs for anxiety or sleep problems. Those are staggering numbers. Don't get me wrong. I'm not against drugs. Many drugs are lifesaving. We couldn't exist without them. Some kids and teenagers need medication to treat biochemical imbalances and they respond very well to antidepressants. Others feel agitated, jumpy and aggressive on antidepressants; this is the group that we have to worry about. They're the ones who are more likely to kill themselves or to attempt suicide on these medications. Kids require different dosages of medications than adults due to their body weight and incomplete development. Most studies on antidepressants and other medications have been conducted on adults. That means that doctors have to guess at the right dosage for children and teenagers. 54-year-old Mark Miller of Kansas testified at the Food and Drug hearing on the safety of antidepressants, claiming that the drugs cost him the life of his 13-year-old son, Matthew. Matthew had trouble adjusting to his new school so the family doctor gave him antidepressants. He began to act fidgety and within days, his mother found him hanging by a belt from a laundry hook in his closet. An autopsy showed that Matthew Miller's body had antidepressant levels suitable for a 250-pound body, though the boy weighed less than 100 pounds. What can we do about this tragedy? Firstly, doctors can take a much harder look at the way they prescribe drugs, especially for people under the age of 18. In the past, rambunctious behavior was considered pretty normal for a six-year-old just as feeling melancholy or moody was considered par for the course for a teenager. Secondly, when kids absolutely require medication for depression, they should be very carefully monitored, especially during the beginning of treatment or during a dose change because that's when the suicidal impulses are most likely emerge. Thirdly, counseling for depression should be explored. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches kids to change their self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. Some studies say that cognitive behavioral therapy is about as effective as Prozac. It should be tried first and drugs should be reserved for the most severely depressed. There are far too many kids taking prescription drugs. We're just beginning to see the long-term side effects of drugging our children. Sometimes, antidepressants have the paradoxical effect; instead of relieving depression, they aggravate it. And the casualties are kids like Matthew Miller. Some kids need drugs because they have biochemical problems. But others may just be suffering from the normal ups and downs of being a teen or a tween. Let's make sure that the kids who need drugs get them but at the same time, let's reduce the number of unnecessary prescriptions. Antidepressants should never be handed out like lollipops! Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
Sigrid Macdonald is a freelance writer who resides in Ottawa, Ontario. Originally from New Jersey, Macdonald is an author, editor and activist. Her first book GETTING HIP: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement is a patient's guide to hip surgery. Her second book, D'Amour Road, is a novel about a woman who goes missing in Ontario. Read More about it at www.damourroad.blogspot.com
Sigrid Macdonald is a freelance writer who resides in Ottawa, Ontario. Originally from New Jersey, Macdonald is an author, editor and activist. Her first book GETTING HIP: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement is a patient's guide to hip surgery. Her second book, D'Amour Road, is a novel about a woman who goes missing in Ontario. Read More about it at www.damourroad.blogspot.com
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