Common Antidepressant Should be Limited in Children; Research Links Drug to Higher Suicide Risk

• comments
• 
• 

About 10 million children in the United States have been prescribed psychiatric drugs that health authorities worldwide consider dangerous because of their behavioral side effects, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International reports. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against antidepressant drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta, which has been known to cause violent, aggressive, and psychotic behavior, and has been linked to heart attacks, stroke, and sudden death.

A new study published in "BMJ" and conducted by researchers from Denmark has revealed how children who are prescribed common antidepressants could be at higher risk for suicide and aggressive behavior, The Guardian reports. For the study, researchers analyzed 68 clinical studies of 70 trials with 18,526 patients to find out the effects of antidepressants on the participants. They also looked into akathisia, a form of restlessness that is linked to violence and suicide.

These clinical studies involved the use of duloxetine (Cymbalta), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Seroxat), sertraline (Zoloft) and venlafaxine (Effexor). Results showed that children who were taking one of the drugs were twice as likely to become aggressive, extremely restless, or suicidal, compared to their peers who were on placebo pills. While none of the study subjects have committed suicide, several have been reported to have attempted or threatened suicide.

"We suggest a minimal use of antidepressants in children, adolescents, and young adults as the serious harms seem to be greater, and as their effect seems to be below what is clinically relevant," the study authors wrote, as per The Guardian. "Alternative treatments such as exercise or psychotherapy may have some benefit and could be considered."

What is more concerning, however, is that studies that have been previously conducted did not properly report any adverse effects. In fact, Medical News Today reports that one pharmaceutical company misreported four deaths linked to their antidepressant, and more than 50% of suicidal incidents were reported to be linked to "emotional liability" or "worsening of depression."

Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly did record most of the deaths that occurred during the trials but did not note 90% of attempted suicide cases.

"This new study is deeply worrying, and it’s very concerning that some clinical trials have been misreported or poorly designed," Lucie Russell of the child and adolescent mental health charity Young Minds told Daily Mail. "We believe that prescribing antidepressants should never be the only course of action."

The study authors recommend that while antidepressants should be immediately available when a young person does not immediately respond to or does not want psychological treatment, treatment as a whole should involve both antidepressant and psychological treatment in combination as it has been proven to yield more positive outcomes and a faster reduction in symptoms. Researchers add that children who are prescribed antidepressants must always be closely monitored.