Depression is defined as a mental illness in which a person is experiencing deep sadness and loneliness. It is known as one of the most common mental illnesses and it affects all kinds of people, regardless of sex, age and religion. Many people are not aware that depression is not only diagnosed in adults, but in children and adolescents as well. Therefore, there is a debate about whether children suffering from depression should be allowed to take antidepressants. Antidepressant drugs should be prescribed for children suffering from depression under the conditions of doctors limiting the medication, including therapy and having the parents informed/educated.
Depression, diagnosed in children and adults is something to be taken serious.
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Critics are concerned about the growing use of psychiatric drugs taken by children and adolescents; these critics complain that physicians and psychiatrists are giving out these chemical solutions rather than psychotherapy due to expenses (Depression in Children--Part II). As psychotherapy can be quite expensive, so can antidepressants. These antidepressants have to keep getting refills and may at the end, end up costing more than a few weeks of psychotherapy that may be helpful. The consuming of antidepressants drugs prescribed for children and adolescents suffering from depression by their primary doctor can lead to many different side effects. It has been stated that, "Between 2005 and 2010, about 2 million U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 17 said that for more than half of the previous month, they routinely had felt sad, angry, disconnected, stressed out, unloved or possibly willing to hurt themselves--or others.(ProQuest Staff - Mental Health Timeline 1)" This was proven on May 25th, 2012, that adolescents feel different emotions; which are the disadvantages of antidepressants. Some people might get a certain reaction to the antidepressants, but some may not, not all bodies are alike. “Doctors should limit the medication of their patients, even if antidepressants come along with numerous different side effects, it is able to decrease the risk of …show more content…
Most parents believe that antidepressants is the only solution to help their children with depression. As parent take their children to their pediatrician, parents want antidepressant drugs prescribed immediately. Currently, parents are concerned on whether paying for psychotherapy is really worth it. Recently, a new study showed that 55 percent of suicidal teenagers had received some therapy before they thought about suicide (ProQuest Staff - Suicide Timeline 1). Reason being, parents believe what they see on internet website, or the rumors other people start. This is why parents go immediately towards the fastest treatment and to what they consider less expensive. Mary Sullivan, the mother of a 16-year-old boy who took antidepressants for two years to combat depression said: "It was so difficult because every parent wants their kids to be perfect and you don't want to accept the fact something might be wrong with your child, but I knew I had to do something about it. I couldn't let it fester because it could have developed into something a lot more tragic. I was very worried about the medication we were putting him on and the high doses. At one stage he was on eight a day (Mayoh 1).” Of course, no parent would accept the fact that something might be wrong with their child, but before parent make a decision on what they would like
Lieberman, J. A. (2003). History of the use of antidepressants in primary care. Primary care
Treating depressive and bipolar disorders with antidepressants remains a popular option in clinical practice. Most clinicians choose the drug or class of drugs, usually selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRI's, that is most effective and best tolerated with fewer severe side effects. These drugs are beneficial because they specifically target serotonin-based areas of the brain without affecting other neurotransmitter systems. SSRI's largely replaced tricyclic antidepressants which work by blocking the absorption (reuptake) of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, thereby increasing the levels of these two neurotransmitters in the brain. Tricyclic antidepressants present severe side effects and thus are usually only used when other treatments have failed. If SSRI's or tricyclics are not effective Monoamine oxidase inhibitors may be prescribed. MAOI's, enhance tyramine to increase norepinephrine and serotonin. While taking MAOI's you must abstain from foods and alcohol that contain tyramine such as, yogurt, aged cheese, and substances such as cold medications. This is because a potential toxic reaction could occur. Additionally, other antidepressants may be utilized such as Wellbutrin (bupropion) an NDRI-
Depression is becoming more common among adults due to the stresses that accompany everyday living. Along with the increasing numbers of adults suffering from depression, an ongoing rise in depression among the youth is also becoming a growing concern. Depression induced by peer pressure, bullying or other stresses can contribute to the growing numbers of adolescents taking antidepressants. According to Dr. Vincent Iannelli, there is an estimate that 3 percent of children and about 12 percent of teens suffer from depression. What most people are misinformed about is that they believe that antidepressants will prevent users from having depression or stop it completely. This is a misconception about antidepressants that can be misleading. The idea of taking a supplement to combat an internal emotional conflict should be severed out as a means of treatment unless ultimately necessar...
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 harmful side effects, but one has to take into consideration whether the risks outweigh the benefits when deciding whether or not to give this type of medication to children.
Depression can have a great impact on someone’s life. Imagine trying to balance these symptoms while in school, work, or being a mother or father. Although while suffering from this disorder there are solutions out there
FDA research has shown that tricyclic antidepressants such as Paxil can actually increase the severity of depression and suicidal behavior in teens and young adults. In the shocking expose “Treating the Mentally Ill,” medical journalist Rob Waters warns “Antidepressants including Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, and Effexor have provoked hostile behavior and thoughts about suicide in a number of teenagers who have been prescribed the drugs. Some of th...
According to the FDA, about 2.5% of children and around 8% of adolescents are affected by depression (Temple). A common way to treat depression is by taking antidepressants. Children and teens have also been prescribed antidepressants for various reasons other than depression such as OCD and anxiety disorders. While it is legal for teenagers and children to take antidepressants, many people are concerned with the issues that taking antidepressants have. Children and teens should be allowed to take antidepressants only when other forms of therapy don’t work. Antidepressants are serious drugs that have severe warnings when children and teens use them. There is also an increased risk of worsening depression and suicide in children and teens, especially in the when they begin to take it. Even the less severe side effects can make quite a negative impact on life.
Due to a continuingly rising prevalence of depression in children (Hidaka, 2012), it is becoming increasingly more important to develop and adapt current psychotherapeutic interventions for use in the treatment of children. Using the case of Max, an 8 year old boy with displaying behavioural changes including social withdrawal, irritableness, lack of appetite and other symptoms of depression. He has received a diagnosis of depression and drawing from the information provided in the case study, this piece of work will apply two different psychotherapeutic interventions, play therapy and a modified
Antidepressant usage has increased all around the world and is used by all ages. Doctors are prescribing more prescriptions, even if the patient does not need the medication. “Antidepressants prescriptions in the UK have increased by 9.6% in 2011, to 46 million prescriptions” (Are Antidepressants overused?). This study took place in the United Kingdom; however, a lot more prescriptions are being prescribed all around the world. The use of antidepressants is increasing to an all time high because doctors do not want to waste time talking about feelings. The psychologist’s just want the patients to feel better quickly so they prescribe antidepressants. Human beings as well as doctors think that prescribing medicat...
The documentary “The Medicated Child” gave me a lot of insight into the lives of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When we hear and learn about bipolar disorder, we do not normally think of children. However, there are many children diagnosed with bipolar disorder ranging from all ages. As we saw in the documentary, bipolar disorder can be very hard on both the child and the family, so finding a cure that is effective and safe is important. The video also highlighted how little research there has been on the effectiveness of antidepressants on children.
Antidepressant are a form of pharmacotherapy treatment developed to treat the symptoms of major depression. Antidepressants are used for many other types of conditions including anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, dysthymia, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, and substance abuse, pain syndromes, gastrointestional disorders. Antidepressants usually require several weeks to notice significant effects. There are no antidepressants or any medication that is completely free of adverse effects. This article explains that the adverse effects of antidepressant can decrease compliance and slow down the rate of recovery. It is important for one to take note of potential side-effects before choosing the best antidepressant to suit their personalized needs. Statistics show that about 28 percent of patients sto...
Depression in school-age children may be one of the most overlooked and under treated psychological disorders of childhood, presenting a serious mental health problem. Depression in children has become an important issue in research due to its many emotional forms, and its relationship to self-destructive behaviors. Depressive disorders are of particular importance to school psychologists, who are often placed in the best position to identify, refer, and treat depressed children. Procedures need to be developed to identify depression in students to avoid allowing those children struggling with depression to go undetected. Depression is one of the most treatable forms of disorders, with an 80-90% chance of improvement if individuals receive treatment (Dubuque, 1998). On the other hand, if untreated, serious cases of depression in childhood can be severe, long, and interfere with all aspects of development, relationships, school progress, and family life (Janzen, & Saklofske, 1991).
Depression is a mental illness, which affects millions of Americans each year. Currently there are many prescription drugs, called anti-depressants that have been proven to successfully treat it. The causes of depression are somewhat of a medical enigma, however, it is known that depression is associated with a change in the brains chemistry involving the function of neurotransmitters (Reichert). This chemical change occurs in healthy brain’s, which experience sadness, but ends after the unpleasant stimulus is removed. In people suffering from depression this chemical change does not correspond to any particular stimulus. Symptoms of depression are often incapacitating and include severe and extended sadness, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of emptiness, irritability and anxiety (Reichert, Spake).
Childhood depression has only been recognized as a real clinical problem for about twenty-two years. Before that time, children that exhibited signs that are now recognized as depression were thought to be behavioral problems that the child would grow out of. Psychiatrists believed that children were too emotionally and cognitively immature to suffer from true depression. Childhood was thought to be a carefree, happy time, void of worry and concerns and therefore it was thought that their problems were not serious enough to merit depression. Traumas such as divorce, incest and abuse were not clearly understood how they could effect children in the long range. Childhood depression differs in many aspects from adult depression and widely went unrecognized academic performance, withdrawal and rejection of friends and favorite activities. Some exhibit hyperactivity, while others complain of fatigue and illness often. Many times these symptoms are thought to ‘be just a phase’ in their children, and overlooked as signs of depression.
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.