Our nation’s youth needs our undivided attention and help. Mental health awareness is a thriving movement however, that is not enough. These adolescents need safe treatments, they need our attention directed towards researching treatment options and to fight for their safety. Do we know that antidepressants are one hundred percent safe for these young individuals? Should we risk their development and future?
According to a study by Bachmann in 2016, Antidepressant prescriptions for adolescents are increasing each year. Specifically, there was a 41 percent increase of these prescriptions from 2005 to 2012. Adolescents are still growing; their brains are not fully developing. Could antidepressants affect their maturement or bodily functions? A study by Julia Harris and Clare Reynell focuses on how antidepressants influence the BOLD signal in a developing brain. Their hypothesis is that adolescents taking antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) will eventually have long term effects. This study finds the tested pharmacological antidepressant treatment, fluoxetine, changes neuron activity and may even change the neuron pathways which control blood flow. It is found that overall prescribed antidepressants can be harmful for adolescents.
This experiment is in response to modern questions, which consist of whether depression makes the brain function differently, are medications safe, and why is there an increase of depression in adolescents? However, there is prior research and experiments which were incorporated with the information of this experiment. The motivation of this study is the increasing depression diagnoses and antidepressant prescription, especially the increase in adolescent depression (CDC, 2021). This is a significant topic of study considering the rise of mental health illness in young generations. There should be proper medication available for young individuals with these illnesses. With technology advancing, our pharmaceuticals should be improved as well, minimizing the risk factors.
The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity. This machinery is a technological advancement necessary to collect the data needed for this study. The fMRI can detect the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal (Harris et.al. 2016). This advanced technology is necessary to track changes of the BOLD signal in adults and adolescents taking antidepressants. For proper results the observed individuals receive the same medication to ensure accurate data, they all take fluoxetine. A connection has been discovered between depression and disrupted emotional processing, so the researchers also studied the participants interpretation of facial expressions. When depressed adults were shown images of sad, fearful, or angry faces their BOLD signal increased compared to healthy adults. However, when medicated these adults’ response can be reduced to normal levels. Fluoxetine treatment is proved to normalize brain activity when responding to facial expressions (Harris et.al. 2016). The article states the researchers study groups of healthy vs. depressed, medicated vs. nonmedicated, and adolescents vs. adults; all the groups were composed of random selected individuals, to get the most accurate results. Scans of their brains were taken initially when entering the experiment, during the experiment and eight weeks post experiment, however for the medicated group taking fluoxetine scans were taken after 1 and 6 weeks of treatment. Every scan taken was collected for data then observed and compared with other scans to obtain results. There was specific tracking on blood supply, signaling pathways, glutamine receptors, calcium and more to observe possible effects from taking antidepressants. From the results of the experiment, we now know the hypothesis is credible and true.
The experiment was executed well however, the study has some flaws and there are certain parts where I think could have been further researched and improved. The grouping process and details were satisfactory, but the author did not include the number of individuals per group. This should be included for a clear look at the study, and it is an important factor to the results of the experiment. I also cannot believe the authors use the word “may” during her argument when speaking about side effects after treatment. Another issue of this study is the lack of background knowledge. For example, researchers have yet to fully understand the neuropathology of depression, which leaves a gap of knowledge that should be included in the study. This can affect their ability to judge the functions affected within the brain. Although, I do give credit to the authors for creating a section in the article dedicated to overcoming limitations. The section speaks on upgrading technologies and further knowledge on certain topics, as well as possible research to be completed. This study could be used as base information for a further detailed modern research study on this topic, due to ever evolving technological advances.
This study matters because individuals seeking medical help about mental illness should have the best treatment possible. This information could help find the specific brain reactions towards these medications, then helping scientists further improve the medications. The goal is to have the safest medication possible for all society, to treat their illness without causing deficits. Pharmaceuticals could improve in general with advanced technology ultimately changing people’s lives across the world.
A study by the Mayo Clinic shares information regarding adolescents taking antidepressants as well, sharing the same caution towards adolescents taking antidepressants. The FDA even reported that antidepressants could cause or worsen suicidal behavior and thoughts in adolescents (Mayo, 2022). While medications may be affective there are other options for treating mental illnesses that are not medicinal. There are many therapeutic options for treating these illnesses two being cognitive behavior therapy and interpersonal therapy. The Mayo Clinic puts out a message to have caution to watch your child if they are on antidepressants and be aware of the possible side effects. The decision of whether to prescribe medication for adolescents with mental illness or not has become complex (Gaffery et.al. 2011). The study by Gaffery and others used fMRI like the research study by Harris and Reynell. Gaffery’s study found results similar to Harris and Reynell’s study, resulting in the same conclusion antidepressant use on adolescents can cause long term side effects.
The issue is antidepressant use and its risk factors remains an under-studied topic. Therefore, research must continue to improve the depth of our knowledge on the topic. The controversial question whether to or not to administer antidepressants to adolescents remains, while both sides of the argument have credible evidence. Antidepressants have proved to help certain individuals and their illness, but in some cases, it causes the severe deficits as stated in the studies discussed above. Is it worth the risk to simply prescribe the medication without an effort to research the side effects it has on adolescents. From there we could improve the medication to avoid these side effects but still assist the individuals’ mental illnesses. With technology advancing every day, we must continue to improve pharmaceuticals.
Bibliography
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021. Youth risk behavior survey: data summary &
trends report 2009-2019. CDC. 57-68. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBSDataSummaryTrendsReport2019-508.pdf.
Gaffery MS, Shenoy R, Luby JL. 2011. Effects of stimulants and SSRIs on brain function in
children: Emerging clues from fMRI studies. Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol News. 5:3-10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3640815/.
Harris JJ, Reynell C. 2017. How do antidepressants influence the BOLD signal in the developing
brain? Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 25:45-57. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929316300755.
Mayo Clinic. 2022 March. Antidepressants for children and teens. mayoclinic.org
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/teen-depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20047502.
Featured Image Source
Schumacher C, Bryan R, Miller L. 2022 January. Escitalopram and memory: how it affects the
brain. The Palm Beach Institute. https://pbinstitute.com/escitalopram/and-memory/