Antidepressants For Children And Teenagers Ineffective, Study Says

A review of 34 trials of 14 antidepressants of the effects of antidepressants on children and teenagers with major depression has revealed that the drugs are ineffective. The results of the review were published in The Lancet.

"The balance of risks and benefits of antidepressants for the treatment of major depression does not seem to offer a clear advantage in children and teenagers, with probably only the exception of fluoxetine," co-author Professor Peng Xie was quoted by MedicalXpress as saying. Xie is from The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China. Fluoxetine is sold as Prozac.

Most antidepressants not working for children and teenagers - study:https://t.co/SFX8AIe1kL

— David Whittle (@13SciDave) June 9, 2016

Antidepressants And Suicide

The Guardian reported that one antidepressant called venlafaxine, sold as Efexor was associated with greater risk of suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. Despite this finding, the risk for suicide could not be determined for all antidepressants because of a lack of accurate information.

This is not the first time that antidepressants were linked to suicide. Reports noted that in 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration had already warned against young people up to 24 using antidepressants because of suicide risk. Despite this, children and teenagers who use antidepressants are on the rise in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Prescribing Antidepressants To Children

Doctors should think that antidepressants actually have lesser benefits and greater negative effects than what is marketed, Professor Jon Jureidini was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying. Jureidini is child psychiatrist from the University of Adelaide

Doctors should "not be pressured into prescribing just because they have no capacity to offer evidence-based psychotherapy," Jureidini added. Jureidini wrote an accompanying editorial to the review of antidepressant drugs.

The trials reviewed had 5,260 participants whose average age was 9 to 18. Pharmaceutical companies shouldered 65% of the trials. The review regarded 29 percent with a high risk of bias, 59 percent had moderate bias while 12 percent had low bias.