Depression and Drugs for Children

One of the leading causes of depression in teenagers is sleep deprivation. One of the quickest ways to deal with a depressed or moody teenager is to make sure that he or she is getting enough sleep. Of course, a proper diet is essential too.

Understanding this is critical, since it is becoming more and more common to place children on anti-depressant drugs that were approved by the FDA for use by adults, such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Even though the makers of these drugs never conducted full-scale studies on the effects of these drugs on children, it is permissible for doctors to use them for children. In fact, once a drug is approved, doctors can prescribe it in any way they see fit.

Last October, the FDA issued a warning stating that doctors should be careful about prescribing SSRI's to children due to the possibility that they may be linked to increased suicide rate in children under the age of 18.

In December, researchers in the UK concluded that SSRI's may be responsible for a 3.2% increased risk of suicide among children. A warning was issued stating that many studies showing negative results of SSRI's on children have been withheld.

In addition to the fact that drug manufacturers are not required to test their drugs on children, even though their drugs may be used on children in the marketplace, the current system allows the manufacturers to withhold studies that can be damaging to the approval process and submit only those studies that encourage approval of their drugs. The result is that even well-meaning doctors may prescribe drugs without knowing the potential dangers.

So, what should you do if you have a depressed child or one that seems to be moody? First, if you suspect that your child is suicidal, or likely to harm himself or herself, that is the appropriate time for drug treatment and medical intervention. Run, do not walk, to your doctor for immediate help. However, this is not the case with most kids.

For most children, a combination of diet and lifestyle improvement, along with some counseling with a qualified professional, usually helps. The most important things from a nutritional perspective are:

• Hydration
• More Omega-3 fats
• Small, regular meals (hypoglycemia often manifests itself as depression)
• Foods rich in B vitamins, such as Brewer's yeast, tuna, salmon, avocadoes, bananas, mangoes, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, whole grains and other plant foods. Stress tends to leach B vitamins from the system, and Brewer's yeast is the best way to replenish it daily.
• More complex carbohydrate foods, as they are serotonin precursors

Lifestyle changes include more sleep, as mentioned before, and regular exercise.

Drug treatment, although necessary for some, often just keeps people, including kids, from dealing with real issues. Better to deal with the underlying causes and fix the problem permanently!