OBJECTIVE In 2003 and 2004, U.S. and European regulators issued public health warnings about a possible association between antidepressants and suicidal thinking and behavior. The authors assessed whether these warnings discouraged use of antidepressants in children and adolescents and whether they led to increases in suicide rates as a result of untreated depression. METHOD The authors exami...

The prevalence of autism, a neurodevelopmental condition resulting from genetic and environmental causes, has increased dramatically during the last decade. Among the potential environmental factors, hyperserotonemia during pregnancy and its effect on brain development could be playing a role in this prevalence raise. In the rodent model developed by Whitaker-Azmitia and colleagues, hyperseroto...

BACKGROUND In individual studies and limited meta-analyses venlafaxine has been reported to be more effective than comparator antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). AIMS To perform a systematic review of all such studies. METHOD We conducted a systematic review of double-blind, randomised trials comparing venlafaxine with alternative antidepressants i...

CONTEXT Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed to pregnant women, but knowledge about their unintended effects on child health is scarce. OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of maternal SSRI use during pregnancy on fetal growth and birth outcomes. DESIGN The study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a prospective population-based study from fetal life onw...

Anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents with reported prevalence rates between 10% and 30%. A combined approach to treatment has been found to be the most effective for optimal outcomes and is typically comprised of psychotherapy (especially exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy), family and patient education, and use of medication if indicated. In children and adolescents ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether in utero exposure to antidepressants is associated with increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING Denmark. PARTICIPANTS All Danish singletons born alive from 1996 to 2009 were included. Using national medical registries, we defined in utero exposure to antidepressants as redemption of an antidepressant ...

Antidepressants introduced since 1990, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine, have been used increasingly as first line treatment for depression in children. 2 The safety of prescribing antidepressants to children (including adolescents) has been the subject of increasing concern in the community and the medical profession, leading to recommendations against their u...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in early pregnancy is associated with miscarriage. METHODS This was a nationwide cohort study identifying all registered pregnancies in Denmark from 1997 to 2010. All births were identified using the Medical Birth Registry, and all records of induced abortion or miscarriage were gathered from the Nati...

BACKGROUND The use of antidepressant medications and the resulting costs have increased dramatically in recent years, partly because of the introduction of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). An assessment of the clinical and economic aspects of SSRIs compared with the older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) was initiated to generate information for purchasers of these drugs as well...

We experienced an 11-year-old boy with panic disorder responding remarkably to paroxetine. Only a few studies have reported the clinical application of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on children with panic disorder. In Japan, there are reports of child depression, autism, and school phobia; no study has focused on paroxetine treatment for children with panic disorder. Therefore...