Antidepressants What determines a good' article from a bad' one? In the Des Moines Register on February 3, there was an article titled, More parents, doctors refuse to put kids on antidepressants," was written by Marilyn Elias. Elias is a well-known writer from USA Today, and has written on topics such as stress, marriage, and health. The article was about the effects on children, ages 18 and younger, taking depression pills. There are many elements that establish a good' article from a bad' one. Some of these elements would be the content, reader, and credibility. In summary, the article talked about the effects that antidepressant pills have on children. Immense publicity about antidepressants causing suicidal behavior in children is prompting more parents to hesitate to take their kids to psychiatrists. More doctors are hesitating to put their patients on antidepressant prescriptions. Last October, the Food and Drug Administration ordered black box labels, the most severe warning, on all anti-depressants. Some doctors think that these medicines are "speed bumps" and might end in more suicides. Other doctors think, "For children who really need treatment, a wait and see' approach could be dangerous." The percentage rate of children's antidepressant prescriptions has dropped within the last couple months. Psychiatrist Bruce Black says, "Kids are unhappy for a lot of reasons, and antidepressants often aren't the solution." The content is the most important part of an article. It needs to have a point with supporting details. Elias addresses many issues and backs them up with facts. She gives many health experts' opinions and their different views on the matter. For example, Elias also displays statistics showing the recent percentage changes within different time periods. The figures draw interest and shock to the article, and it makes the reader more interested. Although the article did not explain how the antidepressant drugs worked, she touched on the dangers and effects. If a person needs more information, or if one was more interested, they could obtain more information by researching depression further. There are many more treatments than just medications. One can go to therapy sessions or maybe more parental advisory would help a child on the right track. There are also many different types of depression. All the information that Elias focused on in the article was relevant to the topic of kids on antidepressants for depression.
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-
antidepressants among US youths. Pediatrics, 109 (5), 721-727. Retrieved via Academic Search Primer on 3/25/04. http://web3.epnet.com
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.
Having the author’s purpose is vital to knowing how informative, opinionated, or factual the article ...
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.
When parents and doctors put children on dangerous medications like Adderall, Dexedrine, and Ritalin, they seem to overlook the dangers and consequences that come with taking antidepressants and stimulants. Children can often end up suffering from a more severe sickness than when they started when they began the treatments (source #8). The ...
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.
...ceutical productions which define the pathology itself. In support of the idea that depression expresses a reduced capacity to interact with the environment rather than an abnormality based around an unidentifiable measurement of “chemical balance,” I will argue that the way in which pharmaceutical drugs standardize chemical deviance and treat mental illness like a biological disease disregards the normative component of depressive illnesses which must be considered as a response in one way or another to the environment in which they are experienced by each patient. By thinking about antidepressants not as correctional of a biological pathology but as a form of adaptation, I hope to show how their use must be considered in relation to values which combine scientific, social and experiential components that cannot be explained by scientific means alone.
What makes an article great? Is it the amazement and awe that someone gets from learning something intriguing and new? Or is it how it withstands the test of time? There are many factors that goes into an amazing article and when an article does not meet all of those criteria, are they a complete failure? The article, “Opinions and Social Pressure” by Solomon Asch, published in Scientific American in 1955, was an amazing discovery. After completing research on past experiments that were similar to his own, Asch conducted an experiment that was revolutionary. With eight subjects in total for each experiment, Asch tested the effect social pressure has on an individual. Seven
The article addresses controversies that the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM-5) is currently undergoing. It describes the importance of the clarity that mental health professionals should have when using the DSM-5 when diagnosing a patient. There is a high rate of diagnosing and medicated treatment for depression and pre psychosis especially among children. The high rates of diagnosing and treatment, as well the reports of patients stating that the prescribed medication is not serving them well have caused many controversies. It is believed that there is an unhealthy relationship between psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry, which can be the cause of many children who receive Medicare or Medicaid are more likely to receive prescriptions for antipsychotics than privately insured children due to its high cost.
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As Consumer Reports state, “Parents in our survey said medication helped equally—and most of all—with academic performance (very helpful for 35 percent) and behavior at school (very helpful for 35 percent). It also helped well with behavior at home (very helpful for 26 percent), and fairly well with social relationships (very helpful for 19 percent) and self-esteem (very helpful for 18 percent)”. What may appear to be serious illnesses or disorders, are very common to be related to improper diet and emotional problems. Parents would rather their child take medication on a daily basis rather than dealing with his or her child’s problems. Pharmaceuticals are proven to stimulate a child’s mind and make their problems “go away”. Overmedicating a child cannot solve his or her issues within one's self. Furthermore, prescriptions cover up the symptoms a child is having and lessens the symptoms to the point where their parents feel that they are “better” or “well”. When a kid takes medication, it only has its effect for a certain amount of time and eventually wears off, this is so that the parents or guardians do not have to deal with the child’s issues. When a parent/guardian or even doctors place a child on medication every day, it puts off a message to the kid that whoever is in charge of the individual cannot handle them or their issues. “Your teacher cannot handle you” and “I cannot handle you” are often comments made by parents who overmedicate their child. When a child receives this underlying message, he or she goes through an emotional course within themselves which can cause major issues for the child such as neglect, depression, anxiety, etc. If parents would be willing to deal with their child’s issues and problems in their everyday life, overmedication in today's society
I agree that having legitimate statistics makes an arguments more credible. One of the first things I looks for in any argument is evidence that backs it up. Sometimes it seems like the author is just offering his opinion on the subject, without any science to back it up. However, it seems like the author of your article did his research and had well backed up reasons for his points. I was particularly interested by the part about how social media is prompting the younger generations to participate more in politics. I would be interested to see the evidence for that, but even without it, I can see why that would be. Social media makes a huge impact on what we think and is the main mode of communication for the majority of young people.
"Many psychiatrists worry that non-specialists may be administering the drugs without referring the children for psychotherapy, which they say should be an integral part of drug therapy" (CQ Researcher). This can lead to many consequences, such as insomnia and even suicidal thoughts. Since children are involuntary patients, the government needs to take special precautions to insure that their safety is of the upmost importance. Law should require doctors to enroll their patients in cognitive behavior therapy before they are able to prescribe children antidepressant medications. Antidepressant medication should be treated as a last resort, if all other options