Ashley Pineda

Ruiz

English 10B/ Period 6

17 February, 2017

Antidepressants

Nearly, 20 percent of adolescents suffer from depression, which may lead to suicidal

thoughts and behavior, making depression the third leading cause of death. Depression is a

biological illness caused by environmental and psychological factors, that can be triggered by

any unhappy memory. Although everyone can be affected by depression, the most common

affected age group is adolescents and young adults. Many different treatments are available to

cope with depression such as medication, cognitive therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy, but

studies have found the most effective form of treatment is medication such as antidepressants.

Yet, teenagers are reluctant to the idea of medication due to the side effects antidepressants

might bring on. Mental depression medication has become a controversial topic because whereas

many doctors claim antidepressants can help those struggling with depression, others argue they

may lead to suicidal behavior and are too expensive for the thousands of people struggling with it

annually.

According on a survey done on Drug health and use, many people suffer from depression,

except do not receive the help they need. This could be for a number of reasons, but studies show

the most common reason people do not seek help is the fear of how the strong side effects may

affect them. Many blame antidepressants for creating an increase in suicidal behavior, and

although antidepressant do increase suicidal thoughts, studies have shown antidepressants may
not be effective. Dr. Martin Keller of Brown University, tracked adolescents with depression

over three weeks, half taking placebo and the other half taking Paxil, an antidepressant

medication. After the eight weeks the paxil group did no better than the two groups..(Benedict

2). People should not fear taking these drugs as they might not physical be effective, but more so

mentally. The patient might begin to assume they are receiving the treatment they needed,

therefore making the patient physically better as they are mentally healing.

For many people, they look to antidepressants in hopes of fixing their lives, but fall short

when these antidepressants do not work. In 2009 Nationwide Childrens Hospital, located in

Ohio, completed a study after the F.D.As black box warning stating antidepressants might be

doing more harm than good. This study is referring to the symptoms these antidepressants

might cause, ranging from severe to very mild cases. Symptoms include anxiety, nausea,

dizziness, fatigue, and dry mouth, but worse of all they may lead to suicidal thoughts and

behavior. Many teenagers refuse to take medication in fear of getting worse, however are not the

only ones concerned about these antidepressants. Doctors have become cautious about these

antidepressants and how they can be affecting the young mind, and have begun to prescribe less

and less of them everyday leading to an underuse of them. This underuse was found to lead to

untreated depression. Untreated depression increases symptoms and scandalous behavior causing

an increase in suicide, an estimated 7.5 million people from 2000 to 2010 (Freyer 8)

committed or attempted suicide. The underuse continues to grow as more become aware and the

future becomes more and more wary for these patients.

The type of environment the person struggling with depression is surrounded by may be a

cause or trigger. Anyone that had a hard childhood is more likely to get depression as an adult.
This can cause the person a lot of stress and lead to poor decision making. Not just at childhood,

if anyone is constantly surrounded by a negative atmosphere or unsupported people, they too

have a chance of developing depression. Scientist decided to study 2,000 teenagers for 6 to 12

months to determine whether their moods affect one another. As they studied the teens, they had

seen the teens had creative small habits, depressed people tend to group into

clusters(Senthilingam 7). Of course other factors go into how a person becomes depressed but

the mood of those you're surrounded by on a daily basis can affect you, as the study found,

teens with a strong group of friends not suffering from depression had half the probability of

developing depression and double the probability of recovering if they were

depressed.(Senthilingam 7). Getting help including the use of antidepressants can offset these

factors and help anyone struggling to stay positive. As this person begins to get happier they

might begin to make better life decision and create a positive environment around them. It can

help a person get their life on track and create a better more supportive environment that may

help them cope with their depression.

Depression is caused by factors such as environmental, but can also be simulated by

social elements. Adolescents in today's society encounter stressful situations such as, bullying,

issues of belonging, and academic pressures . . Considering these factors, it is clear a life of a

teenager is overwhelming and the damages of these conditions can lead to mental scarring that

the medications could essentially prevent. Yet, not much medication is available at the moment,

in fact, prozac is currently the only medication approved(Timeline 5). Doctors and scientists

should work on inventing a new more effective medication. Not all medication is effective for

everyone and more medication should be developed to create more variety for different people.
 Depending on the antidepressant, depression can be expensive on a person and their

family, ranging anywhere between $20 to $1,000 a month. Many people go to a family doctor

due to its inexpensiveness, but studies have shown they are more effective when prescribed by a

specialist. (Bakalar 1)Due to this, many people are prescribed the wrong amount of dosage and

are misinformed about the side effects they will be facing. Receiving the wrong amount of

dosage can lead to untreated depression, or a heightened risk of side effects. Others look to semi

trained people such as a counselor at school or a social worker, yet do not receive the help they

need, again ending in untreated depression. Nevertheless, this is not the only economical issue

faced with the controversial topic, drug manufacturers may be more concerned about their profit

rather than making efficient drugs.

Many face the challenge of paying for expensive antidepressants, but do not realize the

money they invest may be benefiting them. Currently, prozac is the only medication on the

market to help those facing depression. Although prozac has been deemed effective, prozac may

not work for everyone. Others may be struggling to find a medication that suits them only to find

prozac is currently the only effective antidepressant, forcing many to take prozac although it may

have a negative effects on them. Those who feel that the price for antidepressants is too high, do

not realize their money is going to discover and inventing new forms of antidepressants. It can

also go to funding clinical trials or more studies on how symptoms affect the person's long term.

Also, depending on the type, medical insurance can offset the cost of the initial cost for the

antidepressants. Those who decide not to get antidepressants due to the price, may not realize the

effect it may take on your mental health over time.

 After studying key facts and various points on antidepressants, it is evident that those

who agree with the use of antidepressants depend on moral, social, and economical reasons to

back up their opinion on the topic. Those that oppose the use of antidepressants use facts such as,

suicides per year due to antidepressants, and the fact that many people can not afford to get the

treatment they need. A solution to the controversial argument, can successfully be achieved by

creating a new type of antidepressant in which no symptoms affecting your everyday life are

visible. Although some symptoms may be present, as all medication has its their own oncoming

set of symptoms, scientist should create more variety as not all medication works for everyone.

The new drug should be put through many different trials before being exposed to the public to

ensure the safety of those taking these drugs everyday.

Work Cited
 Benedict, Carey. Antidepressant Paxil is unsafe for Teenagers, Analysis of Original. New

York Times. 17 September 2015. PP.A.20. SIRS Issues Researcher.

http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=375567&type=ART

Freyer, Felice J. Study Links Shunning of Drug, Rise in suicide Tries. Boston Globe. 19

June, 2014. Pp. A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher.

Staff, ProQuest. Mental Depression Timeline. Leading Issues Timelines, 2016 SIRS

Issues Researcher. http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=269905&type=ART

Senthilingam, Meera. Study: Happy Friends could Help Teenagers Beat Depression.

CNN Wire Service. 18 Aug, 2015.SIRS Issues Researcher.

http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=375641&type=ART