Mason 1

Matthew Mason

Ms. Gardner

English 10

May 3 2017

Teen Use of Antidepressants

In 2014, 11.4 percent of 12-17 year olds felt major depressive feelings (Albernaz). Most

of these teens arent getting the help they need to get better, even though there are many methods

of helping with depression. There is a lot of controversy in whether or not antidepressants should

be used by teens and young adults with with the problem of depression. Unfortunately, there are

lots of kids in our modern society that are diagnosed with depression and other mental health

illnesses. Although there are ways to help with depression without the use of drugs, such as

healthy eating and exercise, teenagers should use antidepressants to aid other methods because

depression rates are rising, they reduce suicide rates, and other methods do not work for every

individual.

Many people believe that the use of antidepressants is not the best or most reliable way to

help with depression. A method some believe is better is eating healthy. A healthy diet is

believed to help kids deal with depression (Reddy). The idea is that the food will fuel the brain

and give it energy to help motivate the person. Another thing that is believed to help deal with

depression is an active lifestyle. Globe and Mail writer, Dave McGinn, stated how researchers

studied the effects of an active life on depressed kids and that the researchers found that two

years later, the physically active kids had fewer symptoms of depression. According to the

studies, a healthy diet and lifestyle are some of the better ways of helping teens with depression.
 Mason 2

And, although I agree depressed teens should live a healthy life, some of them find it hard to get

the motivation to be healthy and they may need antidepressants to help give them the needed

motivation.

Theres no doubt that healthy living will help teens that have symptoms of depression;

however, there has been a rise in depression found in teens over the past few years. In the journal

titled Pediatrics it states that the number of teens who reported an MDE (major depressive

episode) went from 8.7 percent in 2005 to 11.5 percent only nine years later, a 37 percent

increase (Schrobsdorff). Schrobsdorff, a Times writer, also stated that An MDE is defined as a

period of at least two weeks of low mood that is present in most situations. Over a tenth of kids

had experience two or more weeks of depression. According to Ami Albernaz of the Boston

Globe, only 41.2 percent of kids who had a depressive episode received treatment. The majority

of the tenth of adolescents that experienced depression did not get help, that could have easily

been given to them. If there are methods of treatment, these kids should have received the help

they need, like seeking out a doctor, who can give them a method of help, which could include

antidepressants.

As depression rates go up, so do suicide and suicide attempts; research shows that

antidepressants help teens and bring down suicide rates. Researchers Alicia VonOrman and Beth

Jorosz, or PBR, reported Suicides have become the second-leading cause of death among

teenagers in the United States, surpassing homicide deaths. The two researches found that less

teens were murdered than teens who killed themselves. During the 1990s, There was a steady

decline in adolescent suicide rates that coincided with an increase in the use of antidepressants in

this age group (Friedman). From this people can see that antidepressants do indeed work. But
 Mason 3

in 2004, the Food and Drug Association issued a black box warning that antidepressants may

cause suicidal thoughts. According to Felice Freyer, of the Boston Globe, unknown to the

general public and some doctors, this side effect only affected about two to four percent, and

could easily be stopped when under close surveillance by a doctor. This warning was issued in

hopes to bring suicide rates down, but

Instead of declining as hoped, suicide attempts over the next six years showed a small but

meaningful uptick among people ages 10 to 29, according to a study published

Wednesday in the journal BMJ. That increase followed a substantial drop in the use of

antidepressants. (Freyer)

Freyer concludes that antidepressants were working. Why worry about a drug that has shown

that it does its job and helps teens and decreases suicide rates?

Antidepressants should also be used because, even though a healthy lifestyle can work, it

doesnt always help. Someone I know and am very close to went through some major depressive

episodes in the past. The non-drug methods of helping fight depression did not work for them.

Even though they were physically active in more than one sport, they were still depressed.

There's also a common side effect of depression; loss of appetite, which makes it hard to eat

healthy. My friend was experiencing this, eliminating healthy eating as an option of help. This

someone I know demonstrates that some methods don't work for everyone one, and though it

might be a less of a risk, a healthy lifestyle doesn't always work. Therefore, antidepressants

should be a consideration to teens and their doctors, especially if other methods show to be

ineffective or not enough.

As the percentage of teens with depression rise, antidepressants should be considered and
 Mason 4

used by depressed teens because they've shown that they decrease suicide rates and, other

methods, such as a healthy lifestyle, don't always work. Just because a healthy lifestyle doesn't

work for some, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be tried. Antidepressants aren't necessarily superior

to other methods, but they should be a consideration to those with depression. And it should be

know that under surveillance of a doctor, antidepressants are very safe. The use of

antidepressants will help decrease the number of suicides among teens and young adults. In order

for that to work, people need to compare the risks of taking antidepressants and not taking

antidepressants, and decide whether they need to take that action.

 Mason 5

Works Cited

Albernaz, Ami. "Report: Depressive Episodes on Rise among Teens, Many Not

being.." Boston Globe, 03 Nov, 2015, pp. G.2, SIRS Issues Researcher,

https://sks.sirs.com.

Freyer, Felice J. "Study Links Shunning of Drug, Rise in Suicide Tries." Boston

Globe, 19 Jun, 2014, pp. A.1, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Friedman, Richard A. "Teenagers, Medication and Suicide." New York Times, 03

Aug, 2015, pp. A.19, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

McGinn, Dave. "For Children, Exercise may Help Stave Off Depression." Globe

and Mail, 03 Feb, 2017, pp. L.5, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Schrobsdorff, Susanna. "There's a Startling Increase in Major Depression Among Teens in the

U.S." Time, 15 Nov. 2016, time.com/4572593/increase-depression-teens-teenage-mental-

health/.

"Study: Most Antidepressants Don't Work for Young Patients." Jackson Sun, 08

Jun, 2016, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

VanOrman, Alicia, and Beth Jarosz. "Suicide Replaces Homicide as Second-Leading Cause of

Death Among U.S. Teenagers." Population Reference Bureau, June 2016,

www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2016/suicide-replaces-homicide-second-leading-cause

-death-among-us-teens.aspx.