Antidepressants In Emily Karanges's Dealing With A Drug Dilemma

You are in a deep dark hole, you can barely see the light at the top. You are screaming for help, but it seems nobody can hear you; you want out. You’re drowning, gasping for air, flailing your arms. Everyone is trying to help you, but nothing works. Nothing. This is what depression feels like. This is how many children all across America feel everyday. Antidepressants are the only thing that can save someone from drowning in their thoughts. Without help or relief, children could be pushed over the edge, and follow through with an irreversible action. When someone has have depression, there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, which is something that cannot be fixed by a snap of fingers. Providing medication to children with depression

In “Dealing with a Drug Dilemma,” Emily Karanges, a PhD candidate, argues that, “apart from the long-term unknown effects on the developing brain, there is the concern that short-term side-effects can occur more frequently in children than adults’” (Kleinman). Karanges’ point is that occasionally the results of giving children antidepressants can be disastrous compared to adults. It’s understandable why the opposition stresses the unknown long term side effects of these drugs, especially in children. Nonetheless, the benefits of the medicine at this moment in time outweigh the possible negative effects, of which there may not be any. No child should be denied a medication which could change his/her outlook on life this

Many children who have depression have suicidal thoughts, which in some cases may lead to suicidal tendencies and/or actions. Antidepressants are one of the medications that could decrease or even eliminate these thoughts from the child's mind. Of course, when starting any new medication, the patient must be under close watch of a doctor, or trusted guardian. In addition, to ensure full safety, the FDA put a “black box” warning on all medications stating the possible risk of the medication increasing these depressing/suicidal thoughts. This scared many doctors and parents, therefore many people are trying to avoid the drug altogether. Even though, “studies in 2003 that found [only] about 1 percent of adolescents and young adults experienced an increase in suicidal thinking after starting antidepressants” (Freyer). While on the other hand, “the numbers showed a steady upswing in suicide attempts over the six years as antidepressant use fell 20 percent among young people” (Freyer). Without depression medication, children can have a hard time keeping their focus in school and are prone to dramatic outbursts. “According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, half of students with mental illness ages 14 and older drop out of high school” (Lopez). All in all, the risks of prescribing antidepressants to children are worth the risks, as long as