54 Toddlers Prescribed Anti-Depressants

[matcom]

<snip>

MORE than 20,000 South Australians under the age of 20 were prescribed anti-depressants last year.

This included 54 toddlers who were aged four years and under and more than 500 children aged five to nine years, Health Insurance Commission figures show.

The number of prescriptions - of commonly prescribed drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and Aropax - was up from 2002 when about 19,300 prescriptions were made.

"This is a wake-up call, we need to make sure access to psychological treatments is available," clinical adviser for national depression initiative Beyondblue, Ian Hickie, said yesterday.

http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9413464%255E421,00.html

[izzie]

1. Is this a step to cure the terror of the two years old?

I knew some one would figure out how to stop them from acting so bad.In Iraq we are just gunning them down. For the life of me I can not see why I just walked around and picked up the stuff they got into when I could have done all these things.

[AlienGirl]

2. I was diagnosed wth depression at age four

It happens. The brain is an organ, and any organ can have problems--even in children.

Tucker

[FreeSpeechCrusader]

4. yes, but from what i've read

they are unsure of the effects that many of the medications will have on the toddlers' minds

[DS1]

3. LOL !! Best headline today

Oh man, good laugh!