Antidepressants Help More Kids Than They Harm

Largest review of its kind finds benefits outweighing risks

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

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MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Whether depressed or troubled kids should take antidepressants has been the question at the center of an intense public debate in recent years, and the latest evidence suggests the answer is "yes."

A study in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the benefits of antidepressants outweighed the risks for children and adolescents under the age of 19.

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Anecdotal reports released over the past few years suggest that antidepressants raise suicide risk in children and teens. But the drugs may also prevent deaths by curbing depression, experts say.

"Our study shows that, at least in the short-term, treatment benefits appear to outweigh the risks," confirmed study author Jeffrey A. Bridge, an investigator with Columbus Children's Research Institute, in Ohio.

The findings seem to tip the scale more in favor of antidepressants, which include widely used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Celexa, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft.

"They're saying that, yes, there is a slightly increased risk but it's not as big as we thought and the risk-benefit ratio is favorable. But that's a decision that every family has to make. It's not a generalized decision," said Dr. Jane Ripperger-Suhler, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a psychiatrist with Scott & White Mental Health Center in Temple.

"This leans us more toward the middle -- that we don't have to say these are terrible medicines, that this looks like a fairly good option. and let's not take them off the table," she said.

Antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, have been the subject of intense controversy in recent years.

In October 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory, warning of an increased risk of suicide attempts or suicide-related behavior among children and teens taking SSRIs.

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