title: Potential effects of antidepressant agents on the growth and development of children and adolescents.
abstract: The regulatory bodies of both the United States and United Kingdom have issued cautionary statements about prescribing antidepressant medications to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in children younger than age 18. Despite these cautions, antidepressant agents, particularly SSRIs and serotonin activators, are regularly used to treat MDD in this age group, and increasingly so in very young children. This article considers the possible effects of antidepressant agents on the growth and development of children younger than age 18 and provides recommendations for the use and careful monitoring of these medications, including screening for physiological effects, selfinjurious behavior, and suicidal ideation. Guidelines for use of antidepressant agents with these populations include incorporating medications into comprehensive, holistic treatment, assessing for onset of severe akathesia as a marker of increased risk for self-harm, and advocating for more clinical trials of these medications in different childhood age groupings.
authors.affiliation: Lewis University, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Romeoville, Illinois, USA. Nardide@lewisu.edu
authors.forename: Deena A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors