Antidepressant use in children:  a less depressing story

Harrison, Christopher M; Britt, Helena C

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06587.x

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To the Editor: A recent editorial in the British Medical Journal reported advice from the UK Committee on Safety of Medicines that most types of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) should not be used in the treatment of major depression in children.1 The editorial sparked interest in the Australian media, resulting in articles in large metropolitan newspapers with titles such as “Army of kids on antidepressants”.2 General practitioners were targeted as the cause of reported “over-prescribing”.

General Practice Statistics and Classification Unit, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: helenab@med.usyd.edu.au

Acknowledgements:

We thank the GPs who participated, and the Australian Department of Health and Ageing; Astra Zeneca Pty Ltd (Australia); Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd; Roche Products Pty Ltd; and Merck Sharp and Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd for funding the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) study.

Competing interests:

This study was researched, analysed and reported as an independent analysis of data from the BEACH study.

1. Ramchandani P. Treatment of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents [editorial]. BMJ 2004; 328: 3-4.
2. Hannan E, Dunn A, Smith A. Army of kids on antidepressants. The Sydney Morning Herald 2004; April 26.
3. Britt H, Miller GC, Knox S, et al. General practice activity in Australia, 2002-03. AIHW Cat. No. GEP 14. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (General Practice Series No. 14).
4. Committee on Safety of Medicines. Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). Available at: www.mhra.gov.uk (accessed Oct 2004).
5. Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee. Use of SSRI antidepressants in children and adolescents. Available at: www.tga.gov.au/adr/adrac_ssri.htm#pdf (accessed Oct 2004).

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