Jaiden Sosa

Prof. Shana Creaney

ENGL 110

Nove. 1, 2019

How Effective are Antidepressants on Young Children and Teens?

Children that are put on medication at an early age are solely taught only to deal with their problems through the use of medication, specifically antidepressants. Antidepressants are any medication that treats a major depressive disorder. However, that people take, the more they put off actually getting to the root of their problems. Children that are on medication will learn to become dependent on drugs as a way to solve their problems. Parents and doctors don’t understand that medication is just a temporary fix. They don’t see how this can be a problem for these poor children when they get older and do not know how to deal with some of life’s more serious problems without the help of drugs. Children should not use antidepressants is because they are only children. They’re unsure of who they are and what they want. The effects of the drug could cause more problems in the future for the children.

After researching the issue of the effectiveness of antidepressants on children and youth, I have found several sources explaining various views on the issue. In a scholarly article titled “Antidepressants and Teen suicide: An Analysis of the FDA’s Regulation of Pharmaceutical for Use in Pediatric Patients” written by Sarah D. Gordon, discusses the leading cause of death in teens is suicide. Most of these teens who have committed suicide have been taking prescribed medication since they were children. Gordon specifically states that “500,000 children in the United States attempt suicide and almost 2,000 of these children die as a result” (Gordon 1). This piece of text stuck out to me because I have a younger brother who was diagnosed with ADHD and takes medication every day to calm down. Although he doesn’t have depression, he is 10 years old and such a high number of deaths makes me worry about what will become of his future, and his mental health. Gordon goes on to explain that psychiatrists are administering medications to their patients unaware of how ineffective antidepressants are in children (2). However, psychiatrists are becoming concerned that black box warning labels on medicines are not doing a good job of informing patients on the deadly side effects of antidepressants. This is because the FDA and psychiatrists are not doing their job in being thorough and protecting the consumer leading me to my next point. According to an article on the Harvard Health Blog titled “Antidepressants for teens: A second look” by Nandini Mani, talks about a study that was done on antidepressants but was re-analyzed because of the poor methodology that was used to conduct the experiment. According to Mani, it was found that the results of the experiment were biased, in that large research and drug companies would fund trials that would help make the medicine that they just created look good (1). Reading this reminded me of those commercials that advertise a medication in a way that makes the medication look accessible to the people, but in the end, there’s always that long list of negative side effects. The most infamous side effect is suicide, the main side effect that medicine is supposed to prevent. This leads me to believe that it’s not about the people, it’s about how these large drug industries and doctors are banking off of the consumer’s illness, and not treating it as such.

 

In a scholarly article titled “Efficacy and Safety of Antidepressants in Youth and Depression” by Amy Cheung, MD, Graham J, Emslie , MD, and Taryn L. Maynes, discusses the lack of trials that was conducted among youth, and that it was discovered that antidepressants are not suitable for young children (1). I had no idea that antidepressants really might hold such dangerous risks for children.  I found out that some researchers do not even believe that any antidepressants are very effective in treating childhood depression. The disappointing reality is that antidepressant medications have minimal to no effectiveness in childhood depression beyond a placebo effect” (2). It is difficult to know the truth, but this information makes it extremely important for a proper diagnosis for children before they are put on antidepressants.  The effects of the antidepressants are not clear and there may be a lot of damage happening that doctors are unaware of and cannot determine. I think this is where parents should step in voice what they feel is the most appropriate treatment for their child. This is because it seems that parents can’t put their trust in doctors who are giving the diagnosis. It’s very settling to know that they are just as clueless as the patient is about their child’s “condition”. After reviewing the information in this article, I think it is important to limit the number of children on antidepressants to only those who really need them, not necessarily to all, as I felt in my first response.

In a scholarly article called  “Recognizing Depression in Children” by Kathryn Murphy, describes how while certain antidepressants may benefit severely depressed children and youth, prescriptions are being given out too easily without proper diagnosis. An accurate diagnosis is important for full recovery. Murphy also describes the importance of therapy for children saying, “Since long-term patterns of thinking and feeling are not well-established in children, therapy can be quite effective” (Murphy 1). Murphy goes on to further explain that it’s important that children attend therapy before being prescribed any medication because giving a child a medication at such a young age can make or break their life experiences for the future (2). Murphy’s article shows some interesting views. One point that she made in the article that stood out to me was “A child may not be able to communicate symptoms or may not be aware of symptoms such as restlessness. To assist in the measurement of symptoms, there are several depression rating scales that are effective with children” (3). I found this to be interesting because I think that as humans we’re so quick to self diagnose ourselves, when we are not doctors. Self diagnosing your children only does them an injustice because now they are not only labeling themselves with an illness but doctors are also labeling children with illnesses without giving a thorough diagnosis. They are only children, they cannot possibly explain that they are depressed. I never thought to consider doing such an in depth diagnosis on children before putting them on medication. Now, it seems that in doing so it ensures that the child consuming the medication is in better hands. I like how Murphy brings up the idea of therapy being a better first option than putting children on medication so fast and at such a young age. She is right when she says “If we teach our children that pills make them feel better, how can we tell them not to try a joint or a few drinks to lift their spirits” (4). This is similar to my concern that children will become dependent on drugs for all their problems if that is what they are taught at a young age that drugs can ease their pain.  I think now, however, that this is not a reason for not prescribing antidepressants to children as I thought in my initial opinion, but it is a good reason to make sure the children that receive the drugs really need them. I think this also supports the idea that therapy can be very helpful to help teach a way to deal with problems without the drugs.

However, there could be a good alternative to taking prescribed antidepressants. People tend to turn to marijuana as a coping mechanism for their depression. In an article on Healthline titled “Can Medical Marijuana Treat Depression?” by Ashley Marcin, it was found that yes, medical marijuana does have some benefits in helping people who are ill. According to Marcin medical marijuana helps with easing physical pain and relieves most of people’s anxiety (1).  However, on the website Centers for Disease, an article titled “Teen Substance Use and Risks” talks about how Marijuana tends to be one of the more popular forms of antidepressants among teenagers (Teen Substance Use and Risks, 1) which shockingly does not surprise me. Teenagers are turning and abusing marijuana as their coping mechanism, and a way of calming down. According to an interview titled “Substance Abuse And Teens: Interview With Cathy Taughinbaugh” on the website notsalmon.com, talks about how teenagers abuse drugs for several reasons. In the interview, one question that was asked was “what are some reasons that teens abuse substances like drugs and alcohol?” Cathy answered that children who suffer from illnesses like bipolar or ADHD, it is more than likely that they eventually end up abusing drugs and alcohol. This connects to my whole point that children that are diagnosed with an illness are put on medication at such an early age, it will only influence them into thinking that abusing drugs in the future is okay, like their life depends on it. Their illnesses were not treated properly therefore, they are looked at as drug addicts who have been taking medication all their lives, and I don’t think this is fair. I don’t think it is fair to label people are drug abusers for the rest of their lives.

Initially, I said the fewer drugs the better. However, after reading through a lot of information, I still have not come to an answer as to whether children should be prescribed an antidepressant or not. I think there are other ways of treating depression in children, but then again we can’t be too sure whether a child is depressed or not because they are only children. Children are too young to know who they really are inside. I do think that if parents are really concerned that their child is suffering from depression, I think they should consider taking their child to talk therapies first to get to the root of what could be wrong with their child. I think that we put too much of our trust in these doctors who are working with large research and drug corporations and feeding off of children’s illnesses. Doctors are not giving children through diagnosis and are prescribing children any medicine to take, which can severely damage a person’s future. sometimes it is necessary to prescribe antidepressants to children.  The information I found in my sources shows that, the smart way of looking at this issue is where necessary, antidepressants should be prescribed, but with limits and only after a careful diagnosis. It is important that these drugs are available for those who truly benefit from them, not children who have not had the opportunity to find themselves in this world.

 

Works Cited

Cheung, Amy, et al. “Efficacy and Safety of Antidepressants in Youth Depression.” The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review = La Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie De L’enfant Et De L’adolescent, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Nov. 2004, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2538705/.

Gordon, Sarah D. “Antidepressants and Teen Suicide: An Analysis of the FDA’s Regulation of the Pharmaceuticals Fo Use in Pediatric Patients .” Jstor.org, Administrative Law Review , 2005, www.jstor.org/stable/40712264?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=antidepressants&searchText=and&searchText=children&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dantidepressants%2Band%2Bchildren%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-4800%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3A80debdef09e942237e7aa0f282980df3&seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents.

Mani, Nandini. “Anti-Depressants for Teens: A Second Look.” Harvard Health Blog, 25 Jan. 2016, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/anti-depressants-for-teens-201601229018.

Marcin, Ashley. “Medical Marijuana for Depression: Know the Facts.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 Sept. 2018, www.healthline.com/health/depression/medical-marijuana-for-depression#benefits.

Murphy, Kathryn. “Recognizing DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN : The Nurse Practitioner.” LWW, Sept. 2004, journals.lww.com/tnpj/Fulltext/2004/09000/Recognizing_DEPRESSION_IN_CHILDREN.3.aspx?casa_token=LM2KJUJnJ7AAAAAA%3AF11hmXvki334J5XZZF-mNnACNiUcRwXZTViyBIfewjUKVHTqlXcNmvydzGqFxYwn8jOfdMNC-_fyyyE5lxFIeMY-BLX6.

Salmansohn, Karen. “Substance Abuse And Teens: Interview with Cathy Taughinbaugh.” NotSalmon, 26 July 2019, www.notsalmon.com/2016/08/08/substance-abuse-and-teens/.

“Teen Substance Use & Risks.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Apr. 2019, www.cdc.gov/features/teen-substance-use/index.html.