Anti-Depressants: Effective for Young Children?

With the recent controversy involving anti-depressants and their safety, the issue of prescribing anti-depressant drugs for young children is more controversial than ever. But are anti-depressants effective for young children? More importantly, are they safe? The truth of matter is that we have yet to know the true efficacy and safety of these drugs. Until we know for certain the long-term effects of prescribing anti-depressant drugs to young children, most experts recommend that children should not take such drugs.


The Growing Problem of Depression among Children and Young Adults
Unfortunately, depression among children and young adults appears to be growing. It is a serious problem that doctors and psychiatrists are clamoring to solve, but one with very few easy solutions. Research indicates that roughly 6% of all children and adolescents suffer from some type of childhood depressive disorder. For adolescent age children, the statistics grow even dimmer. For children age 10 to 19, suicide is a prescient threat. In fact, the third biggest cause of death for this age group is suicide.

What We Know About Popular Anti-Depressants

The most popular class of drugs used to treat childhood depressive disorders is those known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI's. SSRI's are considered to be the best defense against childhood depressive disorders. In published studies, SSRI's like the popular drugs Paxil and Prozac were found to be a little more effective than a placebo. How do these SSRI drugs function? Much of their action still remains unknown, although we do know that SSRI's function by increasing the level of serotonin in the body. As newer studies suggest, they may also be responsible for stimulating the development of new brain cells in the hippocampus area of the brain.
The Controversy of Anti-Depressants and Its Use for Children
Unfortunately, the safety and efficacy of prescribing anti-depressants to children is mired in much controversy.


Much of the controversy stems from conflicting medical research. Although some published reports do indicate that SSRI's can be at least moderately effective, and another study indicated that certain anti-depressants can actually increase the amount and level of suicidal thinking in its users. The latter study found that Paxil could actually increase the amount of suicidal thinking in a child. Since the publication of this study, the FDA has declared it unsafe for children less than 18 years of age. Although it has not been restricted to adults, another popular SSRI drug has also come under scrutiny. Prozac, the vanguard of the anti-depressant drugs that grew in popularity during the 1990s, has long been suspected of also increasing suicidal thinking in its users.


There is also much controversy that questions the ethics and openness of the drug manufacturers. The pharmaceutical industry has been criticized for its refusal to make unpublished data available to medical investigators. It is now known that clinical trials of popular anti-depressant drugs have been withheld from the medical investigators, government agencies, and the public at large. Some argue that this lack of openness and cooperation has led to anti-depressants being wrongly recommended to treat childhood depressive disorders. Some have also argued that the pharmaceutical companies need greater regulation in order to make all unpublished data available.

More controversy surrounds the safety of prescribing anti-depressants to young children, whose bodies are still developing at a rapid speed. The study that indicated that anti-depressants may stimulate increased growth in brain cells points to a larger controversy: we don't yet know the full effects or consequences of anti-depressant drugs on a the growing mind and body of a child. Some scientists also caution against the use of SSRI's on young children because we don't know the full effect extra serotonin on the heart and body. Also, some studies indicate that anti-depressants may be too harsh for the growing body of a child. In one Zoloft study, several young people had to drop out due to the side effects of the drug. Some of these side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even symptoms of the eating disorder anorexia were noted.
The Conclusion: To Prescribe or Not?

With the number of controversies still surrounding the use of anti-depressant drugs on young children, it seems safe to conclude that young children should not be prescribed anti-depressants. The exclusion to this rule are children who are severely depressed, but they must be closely monitored for any adverse effects.