A study conducted through the University of Hull in the United Kingdom has found that anti-depression medication may only benefit people who are severely depressed and not people who have moderate to mild depression.

"The finding 'means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments,' lead author Irving Kirsch said in a statement."

While that may be true, Kirsch and others warned that no one should suddenly stop taking a prescription medication. People who are mildly or moderately depressed should talk with their doctor about alternative treatment possibilities such as psychotherapy. Source: Canada.com.

Labels: antidepressants, medictions, suicide

Depressed teens who take anti-depressants as they undergo "talk therapy" are more likely to recover than those who take drugs or therapy alone. Talk therapy also protects them from having suicidal thoughts.

A federally funded study involved 327 teenagers over a six-month period who were divided into three groups. The first group took fluoxetine (Prozac) by itself, the second had only talk therapy, and the third group had a combination of the two.

Those in the combination group had the best outcomes. The ones who took fluoxetine alone had twice the number of suicidal thought compared to the other two groups.

The study was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Learn how to recognize the risks of teen suicide and how to help your teenager at
BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: depression, medictions, therapy

Gene tests may determine which patients develop suicidal thoughts after taking anti-depressant medicines, according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health found that two genetic markers increased a person's chance of developing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the first weeks of taking anti-depressant medications.

"In the future we may have the opportunity to use genomic tests to guide personalized care for depression," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Teen suicide is a real and scary issue. Learn more from this article at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: antidepressants, genetics, medictions

A study from the Center for Disease Control indicates that more teenagers, especially girls, are committing suicide.

The suicide rate among children and teenagers increased by 8% in 2004, the largest increase in fifteen years. Between 1990 and 2003, there was actually a 28% decline in rates.

The percentage of young girls taking their own lives increased the most. Among girls ages 10 to 14 years, the rate increased from 0.54 per 100,000 to 0.95 per 100,000. Among girls ages 15 to 19 years, the rate jumped from 2.66 to 3.52 per 100,000. Among boys ages 15 to 19 years, the rate increased 11.61 to 12.65 per 100,000.

Many experts were predicting an increase in teenage suicides because of black box warnings on antidepressant drugs. The increased rate of suicide coincides with the Food and Drug Administration's requirement that antidepressant prescription labels carry a warning that using the drugs can increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behaviors. Antidepressant prescriptions for patients under age 18 years fell by 10% in 2004.

Labels: antidepressants, medictions, suicide

Putting warning labels on anti-depressants may put more teenagers at risk for suicide, according to a new study by the University of South Florida and University of Illinois.

Professors Hendricks Brown and Robert Gibbons studied depressed teenagers who were taking different classes of medicines and those who were not taking any drugs. They also looked at the medical records of teenagers who had successfully committed suicide. They found that when a teenager began a drug regime, he or she had fewer attempts at suicide. They also found that very few of those who had successfully killed themselves were taking antidepressants at the time of their deaths.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers. Last week the Center for Disease Control announced a spike in the number of teen suicides, particularly among girls.

Dr. Brown believes the increase in suicide may be related to warning labels newly mandated by the Federal Drug Administration. The labels warn that taking certain antidepressants may cause an increase in suicide ideation among young people.

"With the FDA warnings, there has been a rapid lowering of antidepressant prescriptions and a corresponding increase in youth suicides," he wrote. "We found similar results in the Netherlands once the warning was broadcast there as well."

This study appears in the September 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

If you're worried your child is thinking about suicide, then an adolescent residential treatment center that offers programs for troubled teens may help.

Labels: antidepressants, medictions, suicide

In 2004, research on the dangers of antidepressant medication caused the FDA to issue black box warning. The warning stated that "antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children and adolescents..."

"The result was a decrease in the prescription of antidepressants to teens by over 50%, and an increase in suicides."

The 18% increase in teen suicides has causes many to question whether the FDA acted prematurely in issuing the black box warning. Some are now calling for the warning to be repealed. Experts urge parents to seek medical treatment for their teen if he or she is extremely depressed and/or at risk of attempting suicide. Read more at MovingOutMovingOn.BlogHi.com.

Worried that your teen is suffering from depression? Learn about the diagnostic services available at The Aspen Institute for Behavioral Assessment and get your child help today.

Labels: antidepressants, depression, medictions

When a young person enters a doctor's office today, he or she is likely to walk out with a prescription. Because managed-care organizations are less likely to pay for psychotherapy and family interventions, prescription medication is quickly becoming the "therapy of choice" for troubled teens.

"...a study published in Psychiatric Services showed one of every 10 office visits to a primary-care or specialty provider made by boys between the ages of 14 and 18 resulted in an order for psychotropic medication - even though up to a quarter of the time no diagnosis of a mental illness was recorded."

Another survey of child and adolescent psychiatrists who were just starting their careers showed that nine out of ten young people who visited these doctors left with a drug prescription. The increase of prescribed medication and decrease of time spent with psychologists and family therapist has some in the medical community concerned that we're beginning to take the easy way out and are never really addressing the root problems. Read more at My.Brandeis.edu.

If you really want to help your troubled teen and get to the root of whatever emotional or behavioral problems he or she is dealing with, then look into having your teen fully assessed. The Aspen Institute for Behavioral Assessment is a licensed residential treatment center that offers families solutions. Your teenager will be given comprehensive tests to get a clear picture of their needs and then a reliable treatment plan. Learn more at the Aspen Institute for Behavioral Institute.

Labels: medictions, mental_health, treatment_programs

In 2004, the FDA issued a "black box" warning on prescription antidepressants. The warning stated that certain antidepressant medications could increase suicidal tendencies in patients under 25 years of age. A recent study by the American Journal of Psychiatry has found that warning to be false.

"In a study of more than 100,000 patients treated for depression, suicide attempts declined during the first month of treatment - whether that treatment consisted of medication, psychotherapy, or both."

Dr. Greg Simon, MD, authored the study, which is the first of its kind to compare the risk of suicide before and after patients have begun treatment for depression. Read more at ScienceBlogs.com.

If your teenager has shown a persistent pattern of irritable, depressed, or hopeless behavior for more than two weeks, it may be due to clinical depression. Learn more about teen depression, including the signs of teen depression and treatment options for depressed teens at www.about-teen-depression.com.

Labels: antidepressants, depression, medictions

The FDA has expanded it's "black box" warning on antidepressant medications to include not only teens, but young adults up to 24 years old. The new warning calls for weekly face-to-face contact with patients, their family members or caregivers during the first four weeks of treatment, as thoughts of suicide may increase in young adults who are taking antidepressant medication.

"A study released last year showed that 66 percent of children and teens did not see a clinician for a follow-up in the first four weeks after their antidepressant therapy began."

The American Psychiatric Association lauded the FDA's recommendation. Read more at PalmBeachPost.com.

Depressed teenagers can benefit from equine therapy. Learn more about equine therapy at Copper Canyon Academy.

Labels: depression, medictions, mental_health