Earlier quoted context omitted.
7 year olds are second graders in school. They are exposed to plenty.
[flagged]
Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
321–330 of 561 posts
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#322I can't bring myself to try an SSRI. I just cannot do it. I've got a prescription for an NDRI on my desk, and I still won't take it. I am not anti-psychiatry either. I take psychiatric medication for a different condition already. But something about anti-depressants just doesn't sit well with me. As crazy as it may sound, I think a lot of my depression stems from living a life that is not true to myself and due to c…
> As crazy as it may sound, I think a lot of my depression stems from living a life that is not true to myself and due to countless failed attempts to be someone I cannot never be. As far as I am concerned, depression is just a symptom of my situation and not some true disorder. It's true for some, but be wary of such a generalization. It took many years of people telling me the same thing before I understood what th…
My mistake. I should have worded what I wrote differently. I meant to say "not some true disorder for me."
> Having an objectively crappy life is normal. Being depressed about it isn't.
Not sure I can agree on this though. Rates of depression are quite high in institutions like prisons, for example. Especially in solitary confinement. Of course, I am not in prison, but I do believe the environment plays a larger role in depression than many are willing to admit.
This is not my first rodeo with depression. I'm in my early 30s, and this is probably my 5th or 6th time. I won't go into the details of those periods, but I almost didn't make it through a few of them.
> Ah, this is just due to problem X
Why is this outside the realm of possibility though? I believe depression is just a catch-all term for negative states that are too abstract to treat. If one is in a bad environment or unsatisfied in life, then a doctor cannot really do much to treat that. However, pills can be given to make people numb enough to their circumstances that they no longer care. Though, perhaps that lack of care is enough that people can actually benefit?
I mean, with SSRIs, the lows of life are diminished as are the highs of life, one might gain significant weight, and have a host of other issues like low libido, erectile dysfunction, anorgimasa, etc., but at least they aren't depressed...
If anything, I think of antidepressants like opioids. Opioids do not treat pain -- the pain is still there -- one just can't feel it.
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#323Earlier quoted context omitted.
We had/have a lot of reservations about it too, and discussed it at length with our pediatrician over months of observation. We decided what was more horrifying was hearing a 7-year-old — who has supportive family and friends, good health, no traumatic events, no major life changes going on, never worries where food/shelter is coming from — say he feels like "he shouldn't be on Earth anymore" and suddenly react with…
I was one of those “medicating kids is a terrible idea” people, until I had kids with severe generalised anxiety. It took a lot to convince me to try it, but it made their lives better in such an obvious, immediate way. The whole experience made me a lot more humble about opinions I hold without relevant experience.
I wish there were a way to shortcut this process for society so that so many people didn't need to either go through a similar experience personally to have such an epiphany, or worse, never have it at all. (Speaking not only about medication for kids, but other polarizing issues as well.)
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#324Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#325I can't bring myself to try an SSRI. I just cannot do it. I've got a prescription for an NDRI on my desk, and I still won't take it. I am not anti-psychiatry either. I take psychiatric medication for a different condition already. But something about anti-depressants just doesn't sit well with me. As crazy as it may sound, I think a lot of my depression stems from living a life that is not true to myself and due to c…
SSRI can have annoyances (to stay polite) if you ever need a fix so much that you go that route, be sure to ask about them. Didn't help me really but I believe that sometimes, a bit of chemical (placebo or not) relief can help staying afloat enough to work your way back up quicker. I understand your comment, my issues were due to life circumstances and not a low level neurological imbalance, and I too dismissed these…
Even if they did listen to me, what else can they do? They aren't going to apply to new jobs for me, find friends and hobbies for me, etc.. To the men with pills, every issue looks like a disorder.
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#326Earlier quoted context omitted.
[flagged]
With both my kids in 2nd grade and my wife also a public 2nd grade teacher, I consider myself pretty aware of what kids are being taught these days. They certainly are being gradually introduced to some of the problems of the world, but I think childhood development experts would all agree that's healthy. As for them being told they're the source or victim that's hardly the case. I'm sure there are a few isolated inc…
Could it be that we think it's healthy because we can just give meds to the kids that it affects?
How would someone even have the ability to say "it's healthy" - I'm struggling to think how it comes about. I think it's healthy for my kids to cry about a worm dying in the garden, but anything less than "anxiety about a dying planet"...
Put it another way: climate change messaging IS totally about anxiety and putting human as the cause, so we can (as adults) change our habits and save the planet. Could it be too much for kids though?
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#327I can't bring myself to try an SSRI. I just cannot do it. I've got a prescription for an NDRI on my desk, and I still won't take it. I am not anti-psychiatry either. I take psychiatric medication for a different condition already. But something about anti-depressants just doesn't sit well with me. As crazy as it may sound, I think a lot of my depression stems from living a life that is not true to myself and due to c…
Depression is almost never caused by actual life circumstance - just by your response and usually a delayed response. Also you should try your SSRI prescription. They really aren't very strong drugs. You might get mild relief or if you're like me and the majority of people you will see no effect whatsoever. It's worth a try anyway. You won't get "high" or "dull" or any of that nonsense. At best it will lift your mood…
> SSRI prescription
I'm supposed to take an NDRI (Bupropion) and not an SSRI, which is kind of like Ritalin or cocaine. The problem is that I already take amphetamines every single day, so I am not sure why this is really the one my doctors settled on.
In fact, they told me that if my blood pressure increases anymore that I am to stop the medication immediately and then contact them. So, that's not really inspiring a lot of motivation in me.
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#328Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#329When I was a teen I was put on Prozac because I threatened to commit suicide. The drug absolutely destroyed me. Within a few days of taking it, I was in a bizarre state of delirium where I would sleep something like 18 hours a day. When I wasn't asleep I would gnash my teeth at my parents. At school I would lash out at my classmates and randomly punch the walls of my classroom. I was taken off the drug after about fi…
Re: Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts
#330Earlier quoted context omitted.
At this age I am teaching emotional regulation on a daily basis. As for when they grow up, adults who cannot manage their emotions get fired or are sent to jail. It is critical to be slow to anger, quick to forgive, and work at building strong friendships.
You imply we aren't teaching emotional regulation on a daily basis? We have always placed a great deal of emphasis on talking about feelings and developing "tools for our toolboxes" to deal with them. Unfortunately those tools are largely inadequate when there isn't a rational cause for a debilitating emotional state.
Imagine a millionaire who had millionaire parents lecturing his children on how they're not allowed to be poor. Lo! They're not! The lectures worked.