Ssri's in Children

Antidepressants for Treatment of Psychological Disorders in Children SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. These medications are in a class of drugs called antidepressants. Antidepressants first started being heavily marketed in the 1980’s and 1990’s to adults for the treatment of depression and anxiety. Studies done during this time showed that SSRI’s had less negative side effects compared to depression medications that were already being used. Prozac was the first drug in this classification of antidepressants. Today not only are SSRI’s used for the treatment of depression and anxiety but they also are prescribed to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, pre- menstrual dysphoric disorder, and even urinary incontinence. When SSRI’s first started being prescribed they were intended for use in adults only but in the early part of the 2000’s they began being the treatment of choice for children suffering from depression and anxiety even though there use was not clinically studied for use in children. Today we now know a little more about the causes of these disorders and the affects antidepressants are having on children. Posttraumatic stress disorder is one of the disorders that are being treated with SSRI’s. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an emotional disorder followed by trauma. PTSD can’t be diagnosed until at least a month after the trauma. Biological and psychological vulnerabilities play a role in the likelihood someone is to develop PTSD. This means that if certain characteristics or a history of anxiety runs in your family, you have a generalized biological vulnerability for PTSD. Social factors also seem to play a role in the development of the disorder. Results from a number of studies are consistent in showing that if you have a strong and supportive group of people around you, it is much less likely you will develop PTSD after a trauma (Friedman, 2009). Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a condition in which a woman has