Trends in the Use of Antidepressants in a National Sample of Commercially Insured Pediatric Patients, 1998 to 2002

Abstract

The growth in the prevalence of use of antidepressant medications among youths appears to be continuing, and the rate of increase between 1998 and 2002 is similar to the rate of increase seen in the period of the second-generation antidepressants (late 1980s to mid-1990s).

Impact of Regulatory Safety Warnings on the Use of Antidepressants among Children and Adolescents in Finland

“…The increase in incidence and annual prevalence of antidepressant use in Finland between 1998 and 2002 was consistent with the trend observed in other countries (Sourander et al 2002;Zito et al 2002;Delate et al 2004;Murray et al 2004;Ma et al 2005). Unlike in Finland, however, the incidence of antidepressant use declined in Australia, Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States following the series of safety warnings and health advisories issued between 2003 and 2005 (Murray et al 2005;Dean et al 2007;Gibbons et al 2007;Kurdyak et al 2007;Kurian et al 2007;Nemeroff et al 2007;Volkers et al 2007).…”

Risk of adverse behavioral effects with pediatric use of antidepressants

“…Others acknowledged this possibility but thought a "black box" was necessary to ensure that a dialog took place between the prescriber, the patient, and the parent that included alternatives to medication. Perhaps the outcome of the vote might have been different had the Advisory Committee realized that the number of new prescriptions being written for antidepressants in children had already begun to decline (Murray et al 2005;Rosack 2005) after an extended period of rapid growth (Delate et al 2004). The FDA adopted the Advisory Committee recommendations including the "black box" warning.…”

The Premature Demise of Public Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Beds

“…There has been a dramatic increase in the use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents [35][36][37][38]. This despite the fact that most psychotropic medications prescribed Springer for children under 12 years old have not been approved for such use by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) [39].…”