Researchers now claim that dosing children with antidepressants are in fact, not dangerous. This is contrary to popular notions established mainly before 2004, by various studies that linked suicidal thoughts and such attempts, to the use of antidepressants.
These studies had in fact resulted in the Food and Drug Administration of United States allocating the ‘black box’ or severest, warning labels to these drugs. Yet experts now say that this move had resulted in a spate of suicide attempts, caused by such teens unwilling to take anti-depressants.Researchers report that having analyzed data on 5,310 children and teenagers from 27 studies, they have found that for every 100 kids treated with antidepressants, only about one additional child tends to suffer from suicidal tendencies.
Accordingly, it has also been seen that in the study of antidepressants including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Serzone and Remeron, there were no suicides reported.
Says study co-author Dr. David Brent of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: “The medications are safe and effective and should be considered as an important part of treatment. The benefits seem favorable compared to the small risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior."
Experts highly recommend the use of antidepressants to treat anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders and depression.
Source-Medindia
ANN/M
