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Suicide, Depression & Antidepressants in Young People
By David Neubauer, M.D.
Posted Wed, Oct 03, 2007
"CDC Report Shows Largest 1-Year
Increase in Youth Suicide Rate in 15 Years" reads the headline of a recent press release from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
The CDC notice points
out that, after a decline of 28% over 13 years, the suicide rate for 10- to 24-year-olds increased by 8% from 2003 to 2004.
Is this increase in suicides among young people perhaps due to the FDA's warnings to physicians & parents about a possible connection between SSRI's & suicide in young people?
I've written before about
the 2004 decision by the FDA to extend its child & adolescent black-box warning to include young adults up to age 24. This new warning was in response to the concern that suicidal thinking & self-harm may increase among those young people taking antidepressants.
The issue is complicated,
however, by the fact that antidepressants are prescribed for people who are already more vulnerable to suicidal thinking due to their psychiatric symptoms.
Understandably, many health
care professionals worry that the FDA-mandated, black-box warning could inhibit doctors from prescribing antidepressants for young people with depression. Less treatment with SSRI's could then mean more depression & actual suicides.
Several reports suggest that this is exactly what
might be happening.
In one study, researchers
investigated the decrease in prescriptions for SSRI antidepressants for young people in the U.S. & The Netherlands. From 2003 to 2005, there was a 22% decrease in SSRI prescriptions in
both countries. The youth suicide rates during this same period rose 14% in the U.S. & 49% in the Netherlands.
It's hard to blame the FDA
warning directly. There are many influences on mood & behavior. The use of antidepressants, however, is definitely much lower now in children & adolescents following the agency's warning. So it's possible that
the black-box warning may be having the wrong effect in some young people's lives — instead of greater safety, there may now be greater risk.
What's important here is to
identify young people who are experiencing depression & suicidal thinking & to make sure that they are effectively treated - including with the appropriate use of antidepressants.
The warning on the box states
"to watch closely for increased suicidal thinking." That's fine, as long as it doesn't lead to a decrease in or total lack of appropriate treatment.
source: click here
anxieties 101 is the mental health site for the emotional feelings network of sites.
This site includes
information concerning mental illness. The mental illness described within this site includes anxiety disorders & depression.
There's information about other mental illnesses, but the main focus is
the anxiety disorder & depression because they very often are found existing together.
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with Post traumatic stress
disorder, depression & an eating disorder. I had been experiencing symptoms from the PTSD since childhood. I believe
my mother was depressed. I believe my father experienced symptoms of PTSD as well. Some of his experiences in combat resulted
in his symptoms.
I made a personal decision to find out why I was experiencing
mental illness, learn as much as I could about mental illness & find out what I had to do to feel well, both physically
and mentally for the rest of my life. I made a commitment to myself for the first time in my entire life at the age of 45
years old.
While I have a huge amount
of empathy and concern for our military personnel right now, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their families,
it's still a fact that millions of people around the globe are in search of a "quick fix" to be happy and healthy after all!
I believe that we are all in pain, all of us,
all needing help - so here I am, in my efforts to show you how I've had a very complete and successful recovery/personal growth journey over the past five years that continues still.
First of all, you must educate yourself about
your diagnosis or what you believe you are experiencing! Here is what I have to offer you!
the underlined link word system...
how it works wonders for you!
 When I began designing my first website, I was practically computer illiterate.
I spent more time on figuring out how to use codes & how to make certain graphics - that corresponded with mental illness
& emotions & feelings. Some people are very visual. For these people, I've put together some graphics.
I had isolated myself from my family & friends, spending one year hidden in my upstairs office/bedroom!
So while I searched for information,
I began to collect it on my hard drive. I copied & pasted all day & all night long. What to put
on the websites for others to read had to be considered carefully, I decided. I read every article. I pondered &
reflected upon the articles & informational data that I was accumulating. How to put it all together just came
to me one day...
"I think that if others can do the same thing that I'm doing, by reading all these articles, offering those who
need help - a simpler method of collecting information to expand their understanding
of what was happening to their minds & their bodies.
I'll look up the words
that seem more difficult to understand, post
the definitions & I'll include an underlined link word system so if you're say, 'depressed,' you can click on that word to go to a page on a site within my network that speaks volumes
on depression!!!
Click on the underlined link word
above, "depression!" Suddenly realizing that I needed, not wanted, but needed to help others discover what I had. Thus, my theory of helping yourself, by helping others.
This is how I came to my ever present motto:
Education is the key to understanding! Understanding is the key to recovery &
personal growth!
After figuring out all the small details concerning codes, graphics & other practical issues concerning website design, I immersed myself in a daily routine
of finding information on the internet concerning my own problems.
Post traumatic stress disorder was something I knew little about. I knew very little about
depression & panic attacks as well. I had been unknowingly abused throughout my lifetime by my baby boomer parents; experienced domestic violence throughout my childhood that was accepted & then continued the legacy throughout my own marriages. My experience with
domestic violence culminated into two years of running for my life throughout the domestic violence shelter system thoughout
2 states.
I had such intense symptoms that it was almost impossible
for me to think straight. I had tried almost 15 counselors over the years and I had done what each one of them had told me to do, but I had never been diagnosed. This spoke volumes
to me, most importantly, the unmet need I'd had most of my life concerning validation of my mental illness!!!
I finally knew what was wrong & what the name of it was. I wasn't going nuts,
I was mentally ill!
If you were to click on all of the above underlined link words, you would
have visited several sites within the emotional feelings network of sites.
It took me years to find out that mental illness is
connnected to all of these topics. Within this network, if you utilize the underlined link word system, you will speed up your own recovery
/ personal growth progress. You won't have to use the trial & error method that I did. It's truly a useful tool. This
set up will show you why there are now 28 sites to visit within the network.
You could ignore the underlined link word system.
a very important question to consider:
Is it mental illness you're experiencing? Get familiar with the
term, "mental illness" by clicking on the above underlined link provided for your convenience!
the mental disorders covered within the site are:
on this page there is included:
a glossary of mental health terms: as well as other important
words that are associated with mental health, physical health, lifestyle factors, and how our brain works
the brain: a section covering the different parts
of our brains and how they are connected to our functioning
memory: includes information concerning how we remember
things & what our brain does with old & new information
as well as other information that is helpful in understanding the whole scope of mental health
after absorbing all the information i could find pertaining to mental illness, lifestyle factors,
and age or gender specific factors -
i found that there are certain life transitions and factors that directly affect mental health.
one that was too important to go unmentioned was "trauma." traumatic experiences in our lives are quite often the beginnings
of our anxiety, anxiety disorders & depression.
as we all can relate to - because of the recent Hurricanes - Katrina & Rita - disasters unpredicted - explains trauma experienced through natural disasters
taking trauma a step further:
taking trauma a step further, i decided i had to explore the traumatic experiences
i had gone thru in my own life. after understanding the effects that trauma could have on mental illness - i mapped out my
life as far back as i could remember.
you know, all the small - insignificant things that always come to mind as "oh,
that was horrible" situations in my life.
then, to understand these experiences in depth, i took this a step further to take
each situation and research it to fully understand the reasoning, (you know, all the "why did that have to happen?") behind
each factor.
researching these factors like:
absent father
cultural & time specific beliefs
physical illnesses
parental relationship dysfunctions
abortion
alcohol & drug abuse
divorce
domestic violence
helped me to understand even deeper the direct impact these experiences had on
my mental health.
our recovery journey isn't complete until we explore our emotions & feelings. we don't often associate
our mental health with emotions & feelings, but after educating yourself about mental illness - you may understand the
importance of learning more about them.
what started as a single sub site has now become an entire
network of emotions & feelings. the emotional feelings network of sites is accessed
thru the underlined link words throughout the site that deal specifically with emotions,
feelings, stress, self esteem & other important topics.
these underlined link words are especially helpful for you
to explore even further what is important to understand on your own personal journey into mental & physical well being.
check over in the left hand column to see more specifically what is covered in each site!
hidden pages within the site:
children:
women
sleep:
 It is here, in this section
that your first association may begin in seeing the connection between your lifestyle factors & your mental health. Physical
health has a direct bearing upon these factors as well.
You must take this
seriously and learn as much as possible. There are other sites that you will visit from the underlined link word system
mentioned above. Please, for the most beneficial visit to the emotional feelings network of sites, use that underlined link
word system.... it's really good to learn to the "nth" degree.
It's not easy to change life long
habits. It is also necessary to take a look at important factors such as:
You will visit, "the layer down under" where these topics are discussed through the underlined link word system. These important topics must be learned and practiced!
after reading many brief &
incomplete descriptions with only hints as to a "connection" between diet & mental health with almost every site i visited on the web, i was frustrated enough to give
up.
long story made short - there's
a connection between you diet & your mental health.
the lifestyle diet page offers info
that's circulating around the internet concerning the "connection" between diet & mental health as well as a further "connection" between physical illnesses that are affected by diet.
those trying to find answers to their unmet needs in obtaining ultimate well being - both physical & mental - need to learn a
new way to think about the diet.
this is a subject that i've personally
struggled with my entire life.
although until recently,
i've always had the physical ability to exercise in almost any way possible - if i could work up the motivation - to do it.
exercise causes the body to release chemicals within that can help to alleviate the symptoms of mental illness.
not only do we need to exercise to be physically fit, we must exercise to be mentally fit.
i broke my leg almost
3 years ago & suffered serious consequences from the injury. it refused to heal. i spent 14 months in a wheel chair
& gained tons of weight from not being able to move around. now i need to force myself to become physically active again.
i have a web page
on the changes site that deals with obstacles to exercise! no excuses. exercise defeat is welcoming you to challenge me on that statement.
sub topics:
so already you know....
by simply making some small changes in your diet & adding a 30 minute walk
to each day - you can improve your mental health...
it's that easy...
sleep is more important than diet, in determining the state of our mental health... our sleep needs are often overlooked to the point that we tend to "doze off" no matter where we are.. sometimes at work, sometimes during
a movie... & wow! do we ever get "irritable" with a lack of sleep...
investigating this lifestyle factor was very important for me because i've had trouble sleeping my entire life. another reason is my experience with - night eating syndrome - click on the underlined link to learn more about night eating, eating disorders & sleep disorders.
sub topics include:
"We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."
T. S. Eliot
it's a very important lifestyle factor....
lifestyle relaxation...
the first inkling i had
concerning relaxation & mental health was the conclusion of a very difficult situation
for me personally...
i experienced over 300 visits
to the emergency room in one year.
i was in severe pain. i
was in such severe pain that i compared it to childbirth. the pain was at my solar plexus in my chest & it totally disabled
me.
after one year, i had visited
several specialists, been humiliated by several emergency room doctors, who had asked behind the curtain, "why doesn't this woman get a "grip" on her life?" and had wasted thousands of taxpayers dollars on medical
services.... i was on medicaid at the time...
no one could tell me what was wrong..
instead they medicated me severely... i was administered shots of demerol, valium & other very controlled substances to
get me out of pain and off of their patient rosters... then a physician prescribed percocet to me for daily pain..... i was
hooked, believe me.
then after another visit to another specialist, the woman
sat me down at her desk. i was horrified when she asked me to hand over my drugs. she was
totally frank with me, sparing no hurt feelings or confusion, and told me i had been experiencing severe panic or anxiety
attacks. i had to get off of the medicine & learn to do relaxation breathing.
she told me to get a therapist.
read about how important relaxation breathing is & how we can't overlook
the lifestyle factor of relaxation in our daily lives!
 
mental illness is truly a medical illness. there are still many
people who do not believe this. ask some professionals & very college educated people their opinions & they'll tell
you that depression is simply, "a state of mind."
researchers today are in "fast mode" in researching mental health. they
are finding that the chemical changes in our bodies & brains have true bearings on our
mental health.
mental health professionals themselves are quick in finding that they
themselves, must be vigilent in keeping up with the newest research & medications that
become available for those experiencing mental illness.
it's very important for you to become educated on mental health professionals,
therapy options & medications to protect yourself from becoming a victim of those who aren't so professional in this field.
finding the "right" mental health professional is vital in recovery. learn more about it all on these pages.
sub topics include:
once again to break things down to make them particularly simple for you, i've
taken things a step further to add age specific categories!
on each of the age specific pages: there lies information for you
concerning the age specific problems associated with each disorder as well as information concerning specific life transitions
that may affect mental health. other information concerning age or gender is included that is pertinent to lifestyle, the
noted lifestyle factors & mental or physical disorders.....
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