I guess Gardiner Harris, the Scientologists, Eliot Spitzer, Shankar Vendantam, The New York Times editorial page, the British Medical Journal, David Graham, and everyone else who hyperventilated about the link between SSRI's and suicide were right, finally. It was hard work but it all paid off.
According to Drug Benefit Trends.."data from Medco Health Solutions showed that at the end of the first quarter of 2004, the number of persons younger than 18 receiving antidepressants declined by 18% compared with the fourth quarter of 2003; the number dropped another 5% in the second quarter of 2004.[1] This decline contrasts sharply with what had been a 77% increase in the number of filled prescriptions for antidepressants and other psychotropic medications for children and adolescents from 2000 to 2003."
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/504164
The result?
Kids' Suicides Rise, CDC Report Finds
By LINDSEY TANNER Tuesday, February 06, 2007
CHICAGO - New government figures show a surprising increase in youth suicides after a decade of decline, and some mental health experts think a drop in use of antidepressant drugs may be to blame.
The suicide rate climbed 18 percent from 2003 to 2004 for Americans under age 20, from 1,737 deaths to 1,985. Most suicides occurred in older teens, according to the data _ the most current to date from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By contrast, the suicide rate among 15- to 19-year-olds fell in previous years, from about 11 per 100,000 in 1990 to 7.3 per 100,000 in 2003.
Suicides were the only cause of death that increased for children through age 19 from 2003-04, according to a CDC report released Monday. (It should be noted that many in the media confused suicidality with suicide and never explained the difference thereafter in fanning the flames of fear.)
Here's the link to the AP article:
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/06/ap/health/d8n3tp7o0.txt
According to Drug Benefit Trends.."data from Medco Health Solutions showed that at the end of the first quarter of 2004, the number of persons younger than 18 receiving antidepressants declined by 18% compared with the fourth quarter of 2003; the number dropped another 5% in the second quarter of 2004.[1] This decline contrasts sharply with what had been a 77% increase in the number of filled prescriptions for antidepressants and other psychotropic medications for children and adolescents from 2000 to 2003."
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/504164
The result?
Kids' Suicides Rise, CDC Report Finds
By LINDSEY TANNER Tuesday, February 06, 2007
CHICAGO - New government figures show a surprising increase in youth suicides after a decade of decline, and some mental health experts think a drop in use of antidepressant drugs may be to blame.
The suicide rate climbed 18 percent from 2003 to 2004 for Americans under age 20, from 1,737 deaths to 1,985. Most suicides occurred in older teens, according to the data _ the most current to date from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By contrast, the suicide rate among 15- to 19-year-olds fell in previous years, from about 11 per 100,000 in 1990 to 7.3 per 100,000 in 2003.
Suicides were the only cause of death that increased for children through age 19 from 2003-04, according to a CDC report released Monday. (It should be noted that many in the media confused suicidality with suicide and never explained the difference thereafter in fanning the flames of fear.)
Here's the link to the AP article:
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/06/ap/health/d8n3tp7o0.txt
