Antidepressants : Harmful Or Helpful?

The goal of this paper is to examine whether and how antidepressants are associated suicide risk in adolescents.

Antidepressant drugs taken by children have been linked to increased risk of suicide. Exasperated mental health professionals began prescribing antidepressants to children and teens in large proportions in the 1990’s, even though studied safety of such drugs for use in minors had not been conducted. Consequently, standard growth models and brain development may be impaired by the use of these drugs. Moreover, children may be risking one evil for another as adult years could prove to hold adverse side effects and health risks from prolonged use of these drugs.

Some have said there is a specific gene type we may carry, some say what we inherit isn’t in our DNA, but a vulnerability. When vulnerability is brought up along with the topic of depression, it makes it out to be a very dangerous situation. This means that if someone has close relatives who have clinical depression, that somebody may inherit a tendency to develop the illness. It does not necessarily mean that we are destined to become depressed at some point in our lives, but there is definitely a higher risk for those who are raised in this scenario. If someone has grew up with a family history of depression, are they truly at a high risk? If someone has a parent or family member with major depression, that person has a two to three times greater risk of developing the illness compared with the average person. The situation is typically a little different if the parent or close relative has had depression more than just once, known as recurrent depression, and if the illness started relatively early in the person’s life (childhood, teens, or early twenties). This form of depression would be less common – the exact percentage of the population is not exactly known for sure, but statistically may be around three to five percent. The relatives and children of people with this form of depression usually develop it at a

Antidepressant drugs, which can be lifesaving, are being underused in young people. Their use fell significantly after the Food and Drug Administration issued its black-box warning in October of 2004, stating that all antidepressants were associated with a risk of increased suicidal feeling, thinking and behavior in adolescents; later on that warning was extended to young adults (Friedman 1). The Food and Drug Administration-FDA ordered drug companies to place a black-box warning on antidepressant drugs, this would then allow parents to see the side effects the drug might come with. As antidepressants can have its benefits, it is not the only way to treat a mental illness like depression. The majority of parents believe antidepressant is the only treatment and that psychotherapy is a waste of time and money. “About 80 percent of people with depression respond positively to professional medical treatment--usually talk therapy, medication or a combination of both--and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. Unfortunately, less than half of those with depression seek treatment(Clayton

Biopsychologists believe genetics plays a factor in depression for if one has depression it is more likely that a close relative may and will suffer from depression as well. In fact about 20 percent of those relatives suffer from depression as well (Comer, R. J. 2010). Sometimes the cause for depression is simply a chemical imbalance. Low activity of norepinephrine and serotonin has been linked to unipolar depression. As well as certain interactions between neurotransmitters and the endocrine system itself has been linked to depression.

Even though antidepressants serve as a temporary relief for teens with depression, they should not be considered an effective treatment to cure depression due to the side effects, risk of addiction, and increase thoughts of suicide. “Teen depression is a serious condition that affects emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Issues such as peer pressure, academic expectations, and changing bodies can bring a lot of ups and downs for teens” (Mayo Clinic). Depression does not discriminate; no matter what race, gender, or religion, depression can turn a person’s life upside down if they do not handle it correctly. “Depression usually starts between the ages of fifteen and thirty” (WebMD). Teen depression may be more common among members of a family

“One study found that a one percent increase in adolescent use of antidepressants was associated with a decrease of 0.23 suicides per 100,000 adolescents per year.” There is no evidence that the F.D.A. black-box warning was useful. It has made doctors or physicians not want to prescribe them. “Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people and

However, there are multiple theories. Patients of all ages use antidepressants because the drugs tend to alleviate depression in a relatively safe manner (“Antidepressant Drugs” 2). Supporters of antidepressants say that the drugs play an important role in easing the suffering of millions of Americans who suffer from depression. They say that by making treatment of depression easier, the drugs have allowed many people to overcome the stigma associated with depression (5). The adolescent suicide rate declined about 15% in the United States between 1985 and 1999, while use antidepressants in that age group was rising by nearly 70% (Harvard Mental Health Letter, May 2005, 3). It can be concluded from this statistic that antidepressants most likely were the reason for the decline in adolescent

The pertinent findings will be explained, and their implications on future anti-depressants will be addressed.

This is an accurate representation of medication for depression. It does not make you want to live, it does not fix your thinking, it just makes you functional. It allows you to do things you wouldn’t usually be able to, and maybe after a while you will be able to function on your own.

Psychological issues affect people with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Depression is a condition in which a person’s main emotions withdraw and there is a prolonged sadness over a long period of time. Main causes of depression consist of abuse in one’s lifetime, horrific or tragic events and or certain medications. “About 121 million people world-wide are believed to suffer from depression” (Naurt, 2008). Symptoms consist of low self esteem, disturbed sleep habits, appetite loss and the feeling of being not wanted; “It can lead to suicide and is associated with 1 million deaths a year” (Naurt, 2008). Antidepressants are the common treatment for depression, but music therapy is becoming increasingly popular. The biological perspective on the anti-depressants given to patients diagnosed with depression can have very horrific side effects. One such group of anti-depressants is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): “…there is also an established direct link between suicide and violent behavior and the use of SSRIs” (Tyrell, 2001). Most people stop using anti-depressants because of the drugs’ side effects. The SSRIs are just one example of malicious effects anti-depressant drugs that can create on people. Another research study completed by Kikuchi, Mimura, Suzuki, Uchida and Watanabe (2013), affirms their hypothesis that antidepressants has profound negative effects on patients with

As the literature remains inconclusive as to the relation between current major treatment modalities and depressive disorder, and given the extremities of the potential dangers of antidepressant medications, it is apparent that there is a need to develop new interventions, which show greater efficacy, safety, and acceptability.

“Eleven percent of Americans aged 12 years and over, take antidepressant medication,” “antidepressants were the third most common prescription drug … in 2005 – 2008,” and from 1988 to 2008, the rate of antidepressant use in the US increased nearly 400% (Pratt).

1. Continue all medicines including Zoloft. Do not stop or alter dose by yourself unless suggested by your doctor because some diseases need lifelong treatment. All mentioned medications can

Over the years, people have argued and discussed about what could be possible causes of depression. Some experts believe that a person’s genes could be a determinative of whether he or she is inclined or genetically predisposed, to depression. Experts point it to the fact that depressive genes could run in families. Other specialists lessen the role of the person’s genetic, arguing that depression is generally caused by stress, trauma, or physical or mental illness.