The Role Of Anti-Depressant Drugs In Children

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.

According to the video's statistic, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased to four thousand percent during the last decade. This labeling process seems to be almost a medical crime, where modern "Walter Freemans" easily manipulate and experiment the biochemical processes in the developing child's brain by using strong mood stabilizers and antipsychotic drugs. Nevertheless, it puzzled me why so many doctors do not want to start with a mild therapeutical approach. For example, in many other countries treating childhood's behavior problems with pharmaceutical substances is still almost a nonexistent practice. Instead of medications, other therapies are offered through special programs in school or kindergarten, where children learned to develop coping mechanisms.

Psychotropic medications, also referred to as psychiatric or psychotherapeutic medications, are used to treat psychiatric disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They have been used for many years and oftentimes come with dangerous side effects. The side effects that often occur in children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.). The use of psychotropic medication to treat mental disorders in children and adolescents is highly controversial because of ethical viewpoints (i.e. parents “drugging” their children to calm them down) and potentially

Living with a child with bipolar disorder can be difficult. Though it is important to be patient and understanding, dealing with a child’s extreme shifts in mood and behavior can cause a lot of stress on a parent and may cause strain on the parent’s other relationships, mental and physical health, jobs, other children of the family, and the child’s treatment plan. It is important that the parent cares for himself and not solely be concerned of the child, as both the parent and child

Not only may medications be less effective than therapy, medication can have serious side effects that can make them dangerous, especially in children. “The link between antidepressants and suicide rates among children and adolescents is a very serious issue that both Congress and the FDA are investigating” (Davis). Medication meant to help with serious depression cannot be considered beneficial if it causes the patient to consider

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

Lastly, what effects to antidepressants have on mood, behavior, and suicidal tendencies? In her article, ‘The Hidden Harm of Antidepressants’, Diana Kwon, a science writer with a Master’s degree for McGill University in neuroscience, she reviews several studies about the use of antidepressants, and had found the safety data on some of these drugs have been withheld from the public. She mentions research done in Copenhagen by some researchers at the Nordic Cochrane Center, and how they discovered that “pharmaceutical companies were not presenting the full extent of serious harm in clinical study reports…” (Kwon para 2). These clinical study reports are then used by people at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve or deny new

It’s simply easy to discard a young adult with a hint of depression or anxiety in society’s eyes. In fact, depression is a fickle box, a diverse illness, with different prior causes and abstract theories (Mukherjee, New York Times Magazine, 2012). Most adults might be under a false impression that it’s a normal for children to have severe mood swings. As for the adults who have worked under the physiatric/medical field, knew professionally that wasn’t the case. Antidepressants is the key ingredient and solution for these young adults to handle for their own mental problems. Con: However, The U.S Food and Drug Administration slapped “black box” warning on antidepressants, with even a small minority chance of increased suicide risk, behind the agency's strongest safety alert (Olson, Omaha World-Herald, 2005).

In the study patients age 20 to 64 that is diagnosed with depression and on antidepressants was used to observe the possibility of antidepressants causing epilepsy. The data does show some links between antidepressant use and epilepsy, even though it is inconsistent and non-decisive.

A child is brought into this world having nothing but their parents and these parents are expected to provide for their children. A parent who has bipolar disorder may not be able to provide everything the child needs for they are unable due to the instability of bipolar disorder. A child needs to be praised for their accomplishments and be taught the right and wrong, nevertheless their parent may not be able to provide that due to their episodes. A child’s emotional needs may be compromised as the parent is emotionally unstable, so the child will be confused as to what emotions are a moral response and those that may be immoral causing them to get in trouble at school. Physical needs of a child may be overlooked as a parent with bipolar disorder may lose their job due to the instability of their work ethic or punctuality. This affects the child as the parent may not have the money to get them certain materials they need. The parent may not enforce proper hygiene causing the child’s physical needs to

When watching the film, I thought it showed very supported reasons why children and young teens shouldn’t be on powerful medications. While watching The Medicated Child many questions were brought to my attention. I think it’s hard to completely say if a child is bipolar or not. Especially, because the diagnostic and statistical manual(DSM) only shows symptoms for adults suffering from bipolar not children. Also, it can take months and even years to actually diagnose a person with full blown bipolar disorder. I think even if a child is showing clear text book symptoms of bipolar they shouldn’t be put on a huge amount of different medications. The reason being the medications have not been tested on children so the side effects are unknown.

Imagine living in a world of pain, your mind is a dark, scary, and dangerous place. One scribbled note from the doctor changes everything. It can bring sweet relief, the lifting of the dark fog, or a sense of being in control again. But for some, it can spark a journey into an even darker, scarier territory. Should antidepressant drugs be prescribed for children suffering from depression? Today, kids everywhere suffer from depression. It affects everyone ages 3-18, boys and girls, no matter what race. There has been controversy whether or not children and teens should be prescribed antidepressants, although taking antidepressants makes depression worse for some people, antidepressants trigger suicidal thoughts, and the children should

In 2004, the body of Traci Johnson was found hanging from her room in an Eli Lilly laboratory where she was volunteering as a subject for an experimental antidepressant. Traci was the fifth subject to commit suicide during the testing. It brought to light the use of antidepressants in children to the international community, and the practice was under deep scrutiny. What no one knew was which was deadlier; the disease or the drug.

Antidepressants are a powerful way for people who suffer from severe depression and anxiety to stay in control of their lives. Unfortunately, many people who take antidepressants also have problems with illicit drug use. And while attending drug rehabilitation is the most effective way to regain control of your life, the question of whether or not you can take your antidepressants while you're there is surprisingly complex.

Does cognitive-behavioral therapy work just as well as antidepressants when treating depression? How we perceive our depression is what helps to determine the type of treatment necessary. Antidepressants treat the common symptoms of depression rather than the condition while therapy helps change the thought process so the disease is cured in the end. Many studies are done to provide necessary information to what the answer to this question should be. The following articles provided studies that explained the effects of treatment with medication, with therapy, or a combination of both.