Recently there have been news reports of increased suicidal or other depressive behaviors in children and teens taking some of the newer antidepressants, particularly the SSRI class (like Prozac).
http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/85/98557.htm?printing=true "...In their review of some of the largest published trials on the efficacy of newer antidepressants in children and adolescents, psychiatric researchers say that the reported benefits of these drugs to treat depression in children have been exaggerated. They say that children in these studies that received placebo routinely achieved responses that were similar to children treated with antidepressants. Researcher Jon N. Jureidini, MD, PhD, tells WebMD that even when the effectiveness of an active antidepressant was reported as significantly greater than the placebo, the difference did not necessarily translate into a clinical advantage. "Jureidini tells WebMD that one large trial involving the antidepressant Zoloft was mathematically determined to have an advantage over placebo. "But the advantage amounted to just a 2- or 3-point improvement on a 100-point variation scale. From a clinical point of view this was most likely trivial..." "...In a March 22 press statement, FDA officials reported that it was not yet clear whether antidepressants contribute to the emergence of suicidal thinking and behavior. But they urged clinicians and those close to antidepressant users to closely monitor behavioral changes, especially at the beginning of drug treatment or when the doses are increase or decreased... "In the latest analysis, published in the April 10 issue of the British Medical Journal, Jureidini and colleagues reviewed six previously published trials that included 940 young patients. Roughly half were treated with the antidepressants Paxil, Effexor, Zoloft, or Prozac and the other half got a placebo. The researchers say that biased reporting in the mostly drug manufacturer-funded trials commonly led to overstatements of the effectiveness of various antidepressants... "...Child psychiatrist David Fassler, MD, tells WebMD that a major challenge is to better identify which children and adolescents are most likely to respond to antidepressant drugs. "We are still learning about depression in the young, and we may find that it is not just one disorder but a number of them," he says. "A drug treatment may be very effective for some kids with depression, but not for others..." While I have not treated children since med school, a similar effect in extremely depressed adults has been know for years (a typical explanation: "they were actually getting better in that they were listless before, and the drug allowed them to become active, yet hadn't had time to decrease their depression to the point of 'seeing light at the end of the tunnel'"). I have certainly seen antidepressants make a huge, positive impact on adults, but drugs alone are not the answer for all patients. Frex, in those unable to take antidepressants for various reasons, supportive therapy, social engagement or even just the addition of a pet has made significant and life-improving changes. Debbi __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway http://promotions.yahoo.com/design_giveaway/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
