Antidepressants Effects On Children Essay

Words: 1539
Pages: 7

I have chosen to write about the effects that antidepressants have on children and youth. This current issue is affecting many people right now and there are several views that groups have taken on this issue. This complex issue has no real right or wrong answer for the recent questions raised about the effectiveness and safety of antidepressants for children.

I really do not know very much on the issue of the effects that antidepressants have on children, but my general opinion is the fewer drugs the better. I believe that in most cases, children should learn how to deal with their problems without the use of medication. One reason I feel this way is because I think that the more medications that people take, the more
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While writing my first reaction to the issue, 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 for treating childhood depression. Garland says, “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 proper diagnosis for children before they are put on antidepressants. I was surprised by the number of children who are on antidepressants and that the largest increase was for children who were in preschool. It is hard for me to believe that a large number of preschoolers are truly depressed. This supports my initial opinion that 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. 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