Calvin M.
Posting # 1
Topic: Health
Title: Study questions antidepressant link to suicide in kids
Author: Shari Roan
Date of Publication: February 6, 2012
Length: 351 words
Main Ideas:
In 2004, antidepressants were announced by the FDA that it causes an increase risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts in children and youths up to age 25. However, data taken from 41 clinical trials involving more than 9,000 children and adults show there is no reason to believe that antidepression influence suicidal thinking in kids. For the adults in these studies, its shown while taking either fluoxetine or velafxine the adults had decreased suicidal thoughts and behavior. For the children while taking antidepressions such as prozac, suicidal thoughts and behavior neither increased or decreased. Robert Gibbions, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago suggested that antidepressants reduce suicide rates by treating the underlying depressions. Antidepressants appear to affect children differently than adults with regard to suicide.
Conclusion:
Studies now show that antidepressants don't increase suicide. If treatment dosen't work with antidepressants suicide risk remains the same. Saying that antidepressants increase suicide was just meant to decrease prescriptions to kids.
This article interested me because it related to a problem I did in AP stat class on significance testing. In the case with anti-depression medicine for children, there seems to be little or no correlation between the children who take the drug and children who don't. In this case, I think that children shouldn't take the drug if there is no effect on them, as there may be underlying side effects that make harm them later on in life. Also, the realization that antidepressants increase suicide is just a marketing ploy was pretty significant.
ReplyDelete