Certain antidepressants appear to cause irritability and other abnormal behaviours in teenagers. Fluoxetine, like all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), works by increasing the amounts of a mood-altering brain chemical called serotonin. “We underestimate the differences between the juvenile brain and the adult brain,” says Taravosh-Lahn. “It seems there needs to be more research on the effects of antidepressants on kids.” Previous studies have also indicated a link between SSRIs and violent behaviour. Aggression was the most common reason children discontinued taking the drug Zoloft in two clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
One high-profile case is that of Christopher Pittman, who in 2001 at the age of 12 shot and killed his grandparents before setting their house on fire. Lawyers defending the boy argued the murders were influenced by the antidepressant Zoloft, but a jury disagreed and sentenced him to 30 years in prison in February 2005. Following a decision by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2004, all antidepressants in the US now carry strong "black box" warnings, which state that the drugs may cause abnormal behaviours or suicidal thoughts in teenagers. However, experts stress that antidepressants can dramatically improve the lives of some children. “By in large, children do not become aggressive on Prozac,” says child psychiatrist Stuart Goldman, at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, US.
One high-profile case is that of Christopher Pittman, who in 2001 at the age of 12 shot and killed his grandparents before setting their house on fire. Lawyers defending the boy argued the murders were influenced by the antidepressant Zoloft, but a jury disagreed and sentenced him to 30 years in prison in February 2005. Following a decision by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2004, all antidepressants in the US now carry strong "black box" warnings, which state that the drugs may cause abnormal behaviours or suicidal thoughts in teenagers. However, experts stress that antidepressants can dramatically improve the lives of some children. “By in large, children do not become aggressive on Prozac,” says child psychiatrist Stuart Goldman, at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, US.
@ http://www.newscientist.com
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