Children Should Not Be Treated with Antidepressants

Although there are some reasons for children to take medications for their health, they should not be treated with antidepressants for many reasons. Many remember the trend in the 1960s and 1970s that inspired the film Valley of the Dolls. Housewives were taking Valium as if it were candy. Today, things have changed. The Antidrug commercials urge parents to get help and their children off drugs too. At the same time, parents are on the other hand urged to keep their children in check. In this pill popping society, children who misbehave are no longer tolerated. There is no more "boys will be boys" mentality anymore and children who misbehave and are disruptive are often recommended Ritalin or some other drug to make the Teachers day a bit easier. Another disturbing trend is to take medication because you're feeling a little bit down. While clinical depression can be serious, the disorder used to be treated with psychotherapy but drugs would only be used when really necessary. It's disturbing how today every whimper is treated with a pill. Well with all these different varieties of "antidepressants" on the market it's no wonder how this trend has trickled down to the children. Mothers do not want their children going through the turmoil of adolescence or even worse, depression. Therefore, they allow them to take antidepressants. They think they are doing the right thing by helping their children. Sometime in march of 2004 there were reports widely spread by the media that antidepressants and suicide are linked, and the media especially paid attention of the effects on children. Of course, this was known prior to the time that the media got is hands on the story. In fact there were concerns regarding the use of certain antidepressants and the FDA looked into claims that they could make particular children suicidal. In fact, the FDA would eventually acknowledge this and they urged that stronger warning be placed on SSRI's. Interestingly, SSRI's are the only