Teenagers Medication And Suicide Summary

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

However, adults have speculated that when teenagers or youth in general seek help for a mental illness and then therefore receive antidepressants or a similar drug to take, the medication is what actually causes the suicide attempt. On any antidepressant, there is a warning on the label that states “May cause suicidal thoughts” (Bichell). There are many different types of medication under the antidepressant category, and I speak from experience when I say that one type of antidepressant medication may affect you differently than another person. A doctor may speak with the recipient of the medication and warn them to notify someone close to them that they are on the medication to watch for changes in activity, personality, etc. that show signs of possible suicidal activity. Through monitoring and the person on the medication making their thoughts know, this risk of suicide from anti-depressants or other medication should disperse. A major component of keeping control of suicidal activity requires a close family member or friend to be a part of an individual 's life...but what if

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.

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

Suicide is the 6th leading cause of death for 5-14 y/o and 3rd leading cause of death for 15-24 y/o

Although antidepressants can be used as an alternative treatment for depression, there are many concerns with regards to this type of treatment. One of the many concerns is that there is a risk of suicide when taking antidepressants. Study by Olfson et al, (2006) support this claim as their comparison between individuals treated with antidepressants and individuals not treated with those, has shown that there was a significant link between suicidal attempts and individuals taking antidepressants. However, this study presents only a link between those and this

At age seven, Ben Williams began showing signs of depression, telling his mother “I am not destined to have a happy life. I’d be better off dead.” His mother went to a general practitioner who said it was just a phase. At age ten, Ben tried to kill himself. It was only after his incident that he was prescribed antidepressants. Ben is now 17 and is no longer prescribed antidepressants. His mother states, “you never think it will happen to your child until it does.” There are many real stories, such as this one presented in an article by the Telegraph titled “Why Are We Giving Our Primary School Aged Children Anti-Depressants?” The battle on antidepressants has been ongoing, with some people refusing to accept them as a treatment for clinical depression and others accepting them without a question. These debates have lead to more experiments being conducted with the drugs in the United States and abroad, although rarely with children. Following some experiments conducted by the FDA, a “black box” warning had been issued in 2004. According to Walgreens, a large pharmaceutical company, “A black box warning is the strictest warning put in the labeling of prescription drugs or drug products by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when there is reasonable evidence of an association of a serious hazard with the drug. It is basically a warning with a black box around it, hence the name. Having the black box around the warning means that an adverse reaction to the drug may lead to death or serious injury.” There is currently a “black box” warning on antidepressants saying that they could increase suicidal thought in children, but the warning shouldn’t keep children from obtaining the treatment that may help them live an exponentially better life.

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

The city of Plano, Texas, recently earned a spot at the top of Forbes‘s list of “safest places” to live in the United States. Its early efforts at chasing the top prize, however, were part of a cocktail of ignorance and poor judgment that had deadly consequences for Plano’s teenagers. Plano only earned its long-sought distinction after overcoming the fallout from highly publicized episodes of teen drug overdose and suicide in the 1980s and 90s. During the 1990s, scientists at the National Institute of Health detected a nationwide rise in heroin use (Biederman). The spike was seen not only in large, urban environments, where it was perhaps not unprecedented, but also in small towns and more affluent suburbs. Plano, an affluent, newer suburb twenty miles north of Dallas, was not immune. It witnessed heroin’s devastating impact firsthand in Plano’s children, particularly those in high school. Between 1996 and 1998, heroin overdoses were the cause of 18 deaths in Plano’s young residents. But because Plano was one of the richest cities in Texas and was still recovering from the cultural backlash of cluster suicides in the 1980s, its civic and business leaders and to some extent the police tried to obfuscate the city’s heroin problem rather than confront it directly. It paid a high price for these tactics, and it took Plano decades to rebound from the fallout.

Teenagers are more likely to commit suicide than adults . “Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 19-year-olds. In any given year, about 20% of all high school students think of committing suicide; almost 10% try” (Cropper 112). This shocking statistic shows the high risk of suicide among teens, but what some might not know is that the most common form of treatment used to help teens suffering with depression is one that might also increase the risk of suicide and/or harmful actions to oneself. Tricyclic antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro are commonly prescribed to adolescents and young adults to relieve symptoms of depression, and they work by either releasing more of the brain’s “happy chemical,”

The authors of this specific article states in the very beginning that government agencies have issued warnings about the use of antidepressant medications in children, adolescents, and young adults since 2003. They explain that the warnings consist of statements that warn that such medications may cause suicidal tendencies in some people. The article’s authors explore the data on the treatment of depression that led to these warnings, and, also, the subsequent data that are relevant to the warnings. The authors also address the effectiveness

Approximately ten percent of our youth suffer from a deppresive/anxiety disorder. The youth of our society are being treated with anti depressants such as prozac; which, carry a “black box warning.” The FDA has required that boxed warnings be placed on all antidepressant medications warning they may result in increased risk of suicidal tendencies in children, and young adults aged 18-24 years old. The black box warning is the highest warning that can labeled on any medication. It means there has been significant research completed to show a legitimate concern for the well being of the population who is prescribed the medication.

It appears that many factors in the culture have contributed but “the prevalence of depression in adolescents has doubled” (Carter, et al., 2015) and our children are killing themselves at an alarming rate.  There is fear and controversy surrounding the black box label on medications that are typically prescribed and the high risk of increased suicidality. Alternative treatments for depression, reduce risks and allow families and providers options other than medicating adolescents. In recent reviews of research, studies have concluded that “nonpharmacological interventions for preventing and managing depression among adolescents represent more affordable and less controversial options than psychotropic drugs” (Johnson & Taliaferro, 2011).

Some people have easily pushed aside this issue, completely underestimating how many people it’s affecting but when reading Lisa Mayoh’s quote, your mind will be completely changed. “Over thirty thousand children under eighteen are prescribed antidepressants.” That’s a lot of young children who are being affected by this drug day after day but the real argument is over whether it is helping them or hurting them. In most cases it ends up helping. The sad reality is that “no parent wants their teenager to down a handful of antidepressants everyday to fight anxiety or depression” as stated in article “Are We Over-Medicating Our Children”. Although that reality is frightening for people to deal with, many parents will agree that taking a few pills every day has improved their child's quality of life tremendously and has proven to be worth it in several aspects. Mary Sullivan is the mother of a sixteen year old boy who has been fighting depression for two years. In her words, “it was so difficult because every parent wants their kids to be perfect and you don’t want to accept the fact that something might be wrong with your child.” This is all very understandable but she has also been quoted to say that once she got over this her son was put on antidepressants and he is now the happiest she’s seen him since he was little.

A new study suggested that extended use of electronic devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets may cause symptoms of depression in teens. According to the researchers from the San Diego State University and Florida State University that people, particularly teens, who spend more time in social media are more vulnerable to develop depression.