Antidepressants and Age: How Depression Medication Works Differently for Adolescents

The article “Teen Depression Treatment Is an Increasingly Thorny Issue” describes the use of antidepressants and how their impact on children and adolescents is not always beneficial. Depression is quite common in teens, with about 11% of Americans ages 12-17 having had a major depressive episode in the past year. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings for individuals under 25 years of age which state that antidepressants could increase suicidal ideations.

In the article, the author discusses the research done by Dr. Andrea Cipriani and her team at the University of Oxford. They tested 5,000 children and teens who were taking antidepressants. They found that only one medication, fluoxetine (commonly referred to as Prozac), improved their symptoms. As a result, the researchers believe that children and teens should begin depression treatment with quality psychotherapy rather than prescriptions right away. Their recommendations align with those of the American Psychological Association, which shows that this team is not the only one that has taken notice of the effects of antidepressants.

In her lecture on November 19, 2019, Dr. Lauren Shapiro spoke about the treatment struggle for adolescents experiencing depression. The reason that antidepressants work differently in children and in adults is due to the development of a brain area known as the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for areas like personality, cognitive functioning, mood, social behavior, and decision-making. However, this important and complex brain area does not fully develop until 25 years of age – the exact age targeted in the FDA’s antidepressant warnings.

Dr. Shapiro’s research focuses on finding new ways to treat depression that stray away from antidepressants. She has found that a drug that inhibits a regulatory factor called Rho-kinase (ROCK) can lead to antidepressant-like effects in adolescent mice. This drug could be a step in the right direction towards future medications which might treat depression in those under 25 more effectively than common antidepressants.

Looking at the research of both Dr. Cipriani and Dr. Shapiro, one thing is clear: more work needs to be done in order to understand the impact of antidepressants on adolescent health and mental wellbeing. Before that work is done, it is critical that psychologists and psychiatrists take heed of the FDA’s warnings and strive to do what is best for their patients with the most updated research they can find.

Links

https://time.com/4361897/teen-depression-treatment-antidepressants/ https://www.dropbox.com/sh/13j3ka06799we8d/AACN7USeByJriNdkAoq8pHiNa/(11.19.19)%20-%20Lauren%20Shapiro?dl=0&preview=Shapiro+et+al+2019.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1

References

Park, A. (2016, June 8). Antidepressants May Not Work Well Among Children and Teens. Retrieved from https://time.com/4361897/teen-depression-treatment-antidepressants/.

Shapiro, L. "A cytoskeletal based approach to understanding antidepressant-like mechanisms and depression-related behaviors." Neuroscience Seminar. Loyola University Chicago. 19 Nov. 2019.