Product Liability Attorney Blog

Teens are one of the fastest-growing groups diagnosed with depression in the United States. The teen years often are some of the most turbulent in a person’s life; they have many of the responsibilities of an adult (and can, indeed, be tried as one if they commit a crime), but don't yet have all the privileges of adulthood. Their bodies are undergoing dynamic and exhausting changes, their social worlds are becoming more complex, and the need to make decisions about their future looms large. Oh, and the news is going on and on 24-7 about the disastrous economy, world events and social strife. Is it any particular wonder depression manifests around this time?

Studies are continuing to raise evidence that prescriptions of antidepressants may be altering the fundamental personality of the person taking them, rather than alleviating simple moods. Other studies are demonstrating the link between SSRI prescriptions and suicidal thoughts and actions. This is something that should be worrisome to doctors and parents.

Given the fact that antidepressants continue to be the most-prescribed drugs in the United States, the statistic that teenagers who receive SSRI prescriptions are more likely to consider or act on suicidal impulses should be equally chilling. In a study of 48 teens with depression, 58 suicidal events occurred — 10 more attempts at suicide than there were teenagers in the study, to emphasize the point. Nearly 60 percent of teens in the study expressed suicidal thoughts early in the case.

On the other hand, teenagers who received a combination of talking therapy and prescriptions did much better, and had shorter treatment times than patients who were relegated to one or the other. Perhaps it really is time to reconsider just how many of our teens we're prescribing these medicines to. Is it really necessary to emphasize a Prozac culture, or is it time that we took the fairly simple expedient of giving these young people someone they can talk to without judgment?

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