Sad babies

Monday, June 15, 2009

A recent alarming report found that a staggering 48 babies under the age of one were prescribed with anti-depressants in Australia in the past year.

"There is no good reason why babies should be prescribed with anti-depressants for depression," says Professor Ian Hickie from the Brain Mind & Research Institute in Sydney, "however there may be a number of unusual off label uses such as down syndrome or autism where GPs felt the tablets might help.

"Unfortunately at the moment the data does not record the babies names or what it was used for, but just the ages and numbers of people prescribed with these drugs. So we need to look at new ways to find this information.

"For children [aged] five to ten anti-depressants are sometimes prescribed for anxiety, but again, this should only be when all other psychological therapies have failed and under careful medical supervision."

There have recently been more than 54 cases of adverse reactions to anti-depressant drugs in Australia. These side effects in children included a seven-year-old girl who hallucinated, a four-year-old girl who was so panicked she thought she was dying and a five-year-old boy who developed facial twitching.

More than 12 million antidepressant scripts a year are prescribed in Australia - and rising. But are we taking mood-enhancing meds too far?

Find out what the drug does for your weight, your sex life and you...

Anti-depressants: the real story

Your say

Should children be given anti-depressants?

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User comments

If you read the article, it mentions that there are many off label uses for the drugs. There are many cases in which anti-depressants help in other cases such as autism, down syndrome and many others. They never said the doctors were prescribing it for depression.

The most alarming and ridiculous thing about is article is that only two other people have commented on the fact that we have NO IDEA why these babies were prescribed anti-depressants. We're not doctors, we don't have the experience and training to comment on this. The article even SAID that these children are possibly being treated for down syndrome and other developmental disorders that do effect kids. Wake up, people, are we really in such an alarmist society that we can't recognise how quickly we jump to the wrong conclusions? No wonder we're suffering from a severe doctor shortage, I wouldn't want to be a medical practitioner either in this kind of environment.

if babies are like this these days what are the parents who have the child doing or taking during pregnancy to do this to the child?? babies 60 years ago never had anti depressants. its all in the parenting so mums and dads, if your kids are on anti depressants take a walk outside and uppercut yourselves!!! nuff sad..

under no circumstances should we be taking medications that changes the chemical composition of our brain. Its asking for trouble, who really knows how each person will react to these Drugs, and they are drugs just like extacy acid and ice they change chemicals in your brain. they should be outlawed. see how hypocytical our society is they say don't do drugs but take these drugs they are safe, BULLS**T. If i could i would sue whoever invented these, I was prescribed when i was a teenager at 15. The anti depressants changes my moods and attitudes, they made me violent, abusive and ultimately got me expelled from school and in trouble with police. I was a quiet, gentle caring person before being prescribed and i have been permanently affected my taking them. Sure they got rid of depression but at what price, i never finnished school and became a malfunctional member of society. Is this really what we want kids now to grow up like? no wonder they have the attitudes they have now.

Why is everybody so quick to diagnose depression, being sad, happy, angry, anxious - these are all normal emotions, and children should be allowed to express the whole myriad of emotions not just happiness. Sadness teaches us empathy and compassion.

Oh come on, the emotive tone of this article was directly aimed at stirring up a hornets nest of community outrage from the outset. To the author of the article, well done, mission accomplished! It's a pity the truth never gets in the way of a good story. Without actually presenting the facts, it's difficult for anyone (medically qualified or not) to pass comment on whether the action of these doctors was correct for the circumstances to which they apply. Anti-depressant drugs do more than just make people "happy". The brain is extremely complex and the chemical reactions that occur are astounding. Anti-depressants influence brain function in a number of ways - which may have more to do with why they were prescribed to these infants. Let's not be so quick to judge doctors - most of them do actually know what they're talking about and are not in the business of taking risks that could see them sued for malpractice!!

I would be very curious to see a study done on how many of these "sad" little children spend long hours in day care. Although I believe most childcare workers are decent and kind they are no substitute for Mum or Dad. Parents need to realise that childhood whizzes past in the blink of an eye. Spend time with your little ones. Forget buying flat-screen TVs and Home Theatre systems. Buy a modest home, fill it with second-hand furniture and live on one income. Look after your children and reap the rewards. There will be far fewer "sad" babies.

parents should find out whether baby is in loving environment,getting loving care and body contact of mother, enough breast feeding.The baby's sadness is the reflection of the parents and the environmets. Give them love, spend time with them, make them giggle and laugh and enough breast feeding. Depression is lack of love either inside or outside. Rekindle the inner love by offering love. Parents are responsible for sad babies and they should be investigated for child neglect or abuse.'Sad Baby Sybdrome' is result of malfuctioning family!

Well I'd be a depressed baby too these days - born in the "its all about Me generation" dumped in full time childcare 50 hours a week from 6 weeks of age so the parents can chase the almightly dollar and have their 'Me" time.

This article is ridiculous and nothing more than an example of poor sensationalist journalism. As it briefly covers, antidepressants can be used for a variety of off label conditions. Same way that Maxalon, an anti emetic, can be an effective medication for Migraine sufferes. At no point has the article confirmed these infants were diagnosed with depression and medicated as such. I can't believe they titled this article "Sad babies".

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