Panel: All teens should be tested for depression

reply to post by baseball101


I agree that some need help , but not with that "Snake oil" they drug companys boil up. I read somewhere recently that there first legal obligation is to make profit for their share holders.....which means getting people healthy is not there main goal.....they actually spend more on addvertising than research...( I read that too somewhere, sorry I dont have the links. )

Big Pharma get big profits from these drugs, is a major point to consider.

I am not belittling depression in any way, shape or form, but we have to ask the question of WHY so many people (not just kids) are being "diagnosed" with a variety of "disorders"

It may just be the world we live in, with all the food additives and chemicals.

It may be that the medical profession has got better at recognising and treating previously unknown or difficult to diagnose disorders.

It may be that in our modern desire to control and label everything, there is an intense need to label forms of percieved misbehaviour or social deviance and correct it.

It may, just maybe, be a conspiracy by big pharma to maximise profits, and get people reliant on medication from a very early age in order to keep profits maximised for as long as possible.

Nearly every anti-depressant comes with a warning (UK) about side effects that includes "may cause thoughts of suicide" but these are prescribed, regardless.

Young people are especially vulnerable to these side effects.

We understand so little of how the human brain actually works, but for some reason people have supreme faith in doctors and big pharma when they prescribe or develop drugs which mess with brain chemistry.

There is no doubt that some drugs can be used safely by a majority of people - but what of those who experience side effects?
They would be seen as collateral damage in the war for ever increasing profits.

They would be better of teaching kids while at school to have excercise. Especially tday kids will be sitting in playing games.

But to diagnose someone that young with depression and put them on drugs, your wrecking them for life.

But heck why would they care.

*raises hand*
I have clinical depression and I don't take meds for it anymore. I deal with behavior modification.

So there, pharma companies.

But I did take meds when I was little and I was happy but my memory is gone basically, and it may have stunted my growth, and also may have weakened my immune system.

So... I wouldn't give my kids meds for it. I wish I hadn't taken them. But at the time I was really really sick from it, did all the nutrition stuff and workups and meds were the easy way out.

I would never go back on them.

Edit-

I was on Prozac first. Then Sarafem. Then Cymbalta. Then Lexapro/Wellbutrin/Focalin at different combinations. The Focalin was because the antidepressants made me so tired I couldn't wake up. But then I felt great and though I would be fine without them, so got permission to withdraw. I did, then a few months later, BAM... hit the wall.

So I wanted to go back on Wellbutrin even though it had given me hives before. It gave me hives again even though it was the generic, not the brand name, and a different release set. This is when I learned that Wellbutrin causes seizures in up to 1/200 people. And this was when I started researching side effects, realized why my memory was so bad (I started taking Prozac when I was little), and was tired of being.. well.. tired.

So I stopped and I will never go back on, just because of the side effects/withdrawal symptoms and interactions.

[edit on 3/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Originally posted by badkarma90
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

...antidepressants are a Godsend, and if a clinically depressed teen goes a round of antidepressants...under tight medical control, and their lives improve corespondingly...then that's a good thing

Are you kidding me?? I've been on various forms of antidepressants over the years, and they have ALL given me horrible side-effects that made things WORSE for me.
The last pills i took (about a year ago) left me feeling dizzy, gave me cramps, completely dulled my libido(!!), and gave me intense shocking headaches when i tried coming off it, after a few weeks.

Marijuana is the ONLY thing that has ever worked for me, and if it werent for that miraculous plant, I'd either be addicted to those debilitating pills or drowning myself in alcohol.

I'm glad the miracle plant worked out for you, but I wouldn't be hot on sending my lad to school to try and learn with one foot in the enchanted kingdom. In fact, the best reason I can offer him not to indulge at this stage of his life is that it makes you stupid, and he has greater responsabilities right now.

I am sorry that the antidepressants caused you grief...it also takes a dedicated medical crew to ensure that you are on the one best for you if, indeed, they are the answer.

And don't get me wrong...I don't promote a line up outside of the nurse's office where a federal employee has a stack of scripts and a rubber stamp.

But in this crew of nay-sayers, you don't hear many coming out to say 'Yes...they made my life better'...so that needs to become part of this discussion as well. I recall my father saying "If I'd have had Paxil around years ago, my life would have been different".


That is a potent statement. So lets try to stick to talking about the systemic prescription of the drugs, and not their effectiveness because that is entirely subjective...and another argument entirely.

I think there's a good percentage of teens, as warped as this sounds, who view being depressed as the "in" thing to be. Besides that, I'm sure the government's testing parameters for depression would probably include the happiest, most well-adjusted teens as well. It's all been scripted.

Peace

Government-appointed, is the key phrase here. It's just another attempt by our government to stop our youth from being free thinking individuals by keepin em drugged down, guess the flouride's not working well enough for them anymore.

What teenager doesn't go through some kind of depression, hell what adult for that matter ?

Hell i'd be depressed too if i had to pass through metal detectors to get in school, saw police officers in my school everyday, and was always wondering if today is the day that one of my schoolmates is gonna go beserk and start shootin up the school, no antidepressent is gonna change what these kids have to endure these days.

Then there's the normal stuff, breakups, not being popular, acne, image, grades, peer pressure, gangs, drugs, etc being a teenager is hard. But that doesn't mean they need to be drugged down.

And of course these "government-appointed experts"" have the perfect solution. Let's take some hormonal, depressed teens and put them on antidepressents that have been proven to increase suicidal thoughts in people under the age of 24 , yeah that'll help

Hey maybe they have another agenda, in addition to taking these young free thinking individuals and turning them into mindless zombies, many of these antidepressents also put a serious crimp in your sex drive, maybe that's another one of their goals.

[edit on 3/30/2009 by chise61]

reply to post by Dr Love


Or, you know, I mean... I was diagnosed when I was six when I wouldn't stop sleeping and I wouldn't do anything other than get up, go to school, go to sleep.

But, yeah. The "emo" thing is kind of different. It's pretty obvious to tell that most of them are fine. And the ones that aren't, tend to go towards drugs and self-medication.

Cutting was "in" in my school when I was in 8th grade. That wasn't cool. I mean, unless people want to start dealing with all the problems with depression, I don't put up with people wearing weird clothes and feeling sorry for themselves. But again my depression is mostly physical and only partially emotionally manifested, like 3:2 ratio.

I mean, sure there are lots of pressures and things on teens today. When I started exhibiting symptoms I was too young to... understand it, really. I mean, for me, it wasn't and isn't an attention thing. But for one of my good friends growing up, it clearly was, turned into drug use, and then ended up just completely changing her.

reply to post by chise61


Right, but there are cases like mine. And there are cases where it just isn't picked up on until later on in the teenage years and manifests as a social anxiety disorder or something until then. That's what happened with my cousin. They thought it was social anxiety until she turned 13 and took her to a psychiatrist, who diagnosed it as depression.

I mean, I expect to be in the minority in this thread, but I'm just representing those few cases where depression isn't just "feeling sad"

So once again, gov't. intrudes into areas that should be the parents job... When in doubt, let's drug our kids.

Clinical depression is a bad thing, no doubt about it. It destroys lives...but I somehow doubt it's as widespread as some would have us believe. Teenagers would be especially hard to diagnose I would think, given the raging changes that are going on in your typical teen.

reply to post by Grayelf2009


i never was introduced to any drugs for my depression or anxiety my doctor actually referred me to go to a counselor, which helped and there were no dangerous side effects haha

reply to post by baseball101


Yeah, I go to therapy now. I like it a LOT better.
But, therapy is actually more expensive. Which is a bummer.

reply to post by ravenshadow13



Yes there are cases where a child, or teen may need therapy and medication.

However there are more often cases where just give em a pill is their easy solution, because they don't want to take the time necessary to treat the real problem, without any thought to the consequences of the medications side effects.

A couple of years ago they were telling people that primary care
physicians were over prescribing antidepressents and that pyschiatrists were the only ones who should prescribe them, and now they're saying these primary care physicians should be the ones screening for depression.

This society has just become too dependant on drugs as the answer to everything, and when the government sees an opportunity to use it against us, they jump.

reply to post by chise61


Well right. But people need to discover that for themselves, I think. I mean... IMO if you have depression but wouldn't consider electric shock therapy or spending $80/per therapy session or anything like changing your eating habits or really going out of the way... then, that says something. Because most people aren't informed of side effects and things, and even I eventually said "get these chemicals OUT of me!"

But, just making it clear, sometimes depression/anti-depressant threads can get kind of touchy for me and others who take or have taken anti-depressants.

So it's good not to generalize ^_^

[edit on 3/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Look at what the state of the world is in today, not to mention America's future, and they WONDER why teenagers have angst or depression?

Gee maybe the teenagers know what's in hand for them in the future?

The government shan't dare to have that! They shalt take their medicine and they shalt shut up and be mindless sheep!!!

The system must not be allowed to change... but the pesky teenagers must change! Or Else!

*Angry Hitler-like hand thump on table*

reply to post by ravenshadow13



You are right people do need to make those decisions for themselves. Unfortunately the government is not content to let us do that, and wants to insinuate themselves into every aspect of our private lives.

Example, whatever health problems your child may have should be between your child, yourself, and their doctors. But we now have a system where teachers think that they should be able to decide which children need to be on meds (without any idea what so ever of the child's medical history) and if the parent doesn't agree they call in the government social workers to make your life miserable trying to force you to comply.

And that is my point since an estimated 6% (which is a low percentage) of teens are clinically depressed the government wants to generalize all teens as being depressed and say that they should all be screened for depression.

If you thought that i was generalizing people that use antidepressents you misunderstood my meaning.

Yeah, again I am forced to call BS.

Now I will agree that there are a certain number of individuals on this planet who suffer from depression as a chemical imbalance. However there is no need to treat these conditions with drugs.

As far as having ALL teens screened for depression, this is simply another attempt to have our children loaded with prescription drugs before they turn 18.

Will pharmaceutical companies ever stop with this nonsense? It is simply ridiculous to force feed teenagers drugs instead of dealing with the root problems associated with their ailments.

We simply mask the problem and tell them that they don't have to actually get through the stress and heartaches of growing up, they can simply pop pills and everything is great again.

Simply ridiculous. I am very happy my husband is a doctor so I can refrain from having to expose my children to such ludicrous ideologies and practices by our modern medical professionals.

~Keeper

Originally posted by tothetenthpower

Now I will agree that there are a certain number of individuals on this planet who suffer from depression as a chemical imbalance. However there is no need to treat these conditions with drugs.

Actually, what you state here is pretty much your own conjecture. Now does your husband agree that there is no need to treat clinical depression with drugs?

Maybe you can get him to show us that particular article in Lancet, or the New England Journal of Medicine. Something a little more peer-reviewed than you are. It would of course then follow that the wives of doctors ought to be immune to depression.

Actually, what you state here is pretty much your own conjecture. Now does your husband agree that there is no need to treat clinical depression with drugs?

When asked about methods of treatment for clinical depression my husband has offered many different alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs that have worked for his patients. Ofcourse some patients simply don't respond to other methods of treatment and he has prescribed them only in the worst of cases.

Maybe you can get him to show us that particular article in Lancet, or the New England Journal of Medicine. Something a little more peer-reviewed than you are.

Not everything that works is put into medical journals, we all know that.

It would of course then follow that the wives of doctors ought to be immune to depression.

May I should be worried as I am not my husband's wife .

Geez, sounds like they want to target kids and get them doped up. Who knows what kind of mind-control medicine they're creating in labs these days. Or possibly the drug companies just want to get them hooked early.

If a teen is depressed there are many adults around them who should be getting them help, including parents and teachers. I know they can't always spot that a teen needs help, that's why schools should encourage kids more, teaching them that they can come to the school officials or parents with their problems.

This depression testing just seems like overkill.