←back to thread

Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts

(www.theguardian.com)
206 points pseudolus | 1 comments | 21 Nov 25 00:02 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
lemming ◴[21 Nov 25 01:33 UTC] No.46000215[source]▶
Our 11 year old daughter was seriously depressed recently. N=1, but fluoxetine was life changing (and potentially life saving) for her, at least.
replies(3): >>46000589 #>>46000812 #>>46008621 #
potsandpans ◴[21 Nov 25 20:30 UTC] No.46008621[source]▶
Genuine question (which I accept may be too personal to answer): what does depression in someone that young look like?

How is it different from the expected hormonal changes that an adolescent is expected to go through?

replies(3): >>46009266 #>>46009381 #>>46009798 #
1. jdietrich ◴[21 Nov 25 22:30 UTC] No.46009798[source]▶
As someone who has been seriously depressed from an early age, I can tell you that it looks exactly like the DSM/ICD criteria - a lack of energy, loss of appetite, loss of interest in all activities, insomnia, feelings of worthlessness, suicidal thoughts and pervasive sadness and hopelessness.

Some people would rather believe that pediatric depression isn't real, rather than confront the reality of a loved and cared-for child who is constantly tearful, severely underweight, sleeps for three or four hours a night, spends most of their time staring into space and frequently talks about wanting to die.

Depression is an utterly dreadful illness and should not be confused with normal sadness or unhappiness.