Parents with teenage daughters - antidepressants

[Lucky4me]

My 16 yo daughter told me yet another one of her friends was going on Prozac. This is the 5th one this year. These are girls she's been friends with since Kindergarten, who come to my home on a regular basis and who I never noticed were depressed before. My daughter never noticed any depression in them either and she is with them constantly. I realize depression can be hidden, but I think it's strange that this many of her close friends are being diagnosed at the same time. My daughter thinks it's becoming the 'cool' thing to do. Why, I can't imagine. I'm thinking maybe it's because they may not know it's perfectly normal not to be happy all the time. All of them are from well off families and have had everything handed to them. I guess you could say they are spoiled. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it or not.

Anyone else noticing this trend?

 

[caitycaity]

i don't know anyone currently in high school, and i'm nots aying people don't take medication for the wrong reasons, but i was clinically depressed in high school and my parents didn't have a clue for a very long time. it happens.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

My sister was diagnosed as depressed in HS. But she had 2 close friends die within a year of each other. One was a hit and run. And the other was trying to hurry to work and wrapped his car around a telephone pole.

My Sister did a lot of rebeling after that. It really helped her to go on medication. She was off of it within a year and a half. She did not like taking it but knew that she needed too. That was a tough time for our whole family.

Thankfully she is doing great now and is giving me a Niece in May!

 

[jamsmom]

I think depression can easlily be hidden not only from the parents, but from the friends. No one wants his/her friends to think they can't handle everything.

 

[Lucky4me]

How long has it been since you were in HS caity? It seems as if the pendulum has swung the other way in the last several years. When I was in HS 25 years ago, I didn't know anyone on antidepressants. There were probably lots of depressed kids who went untreated. The teen years are hard enough without being clinically depressed. This is why I worry and wonder about her friends. We've sat around my kitchen table talking about any and everything, a lot. I never noticed them saying anything that would indicate depression. It seems weird to me that I wouldn't have seen it. I must not be as observant as I thought I was.

I think teenage angst and hormonal ups and downs are the norm. When it starts adversely affecting school work, social and home life, that's when it's time for an evaluation and possibly medication.

Does anyone know what the affects of taking antidepressants are if you AREN'T clinically depressed? Do they make you feel any different? I'd think if the chemicals in your brain were already balanced, nothing would happen and you'd feel no different. I haven't researched this and I could be wrong, but I'm curious.

 

[LindaR]

I think it has become the "trendy" illness. The first thing the doctor wants to do is prescribe strong medications instead of encouraging the parents to look for others things.

If you notice, this is the same with all these kids being diagnosed with ADHD.

We are far too quick to pop a pill (a very strong pill). It is natural for teenagers to have a variety of emotions that change by the second. When they are sad, they are very very sad. When they are happy, they are very very happy. Extreme emotion is part of the teenage years. TRUE clinical depression is not as common as the cold. Everyone goes thru periods of time when things are hard to handle and we must be careful not to feel that we need medication every time we feel sad.

Now the doctors say that Prozac will "help" with the symptoms of menopause!

Way too many natural ways to cure illnesses instead of taking harsh medications.

 

[Jenzebelle]

I think nowadays people are more in tune to depression and anxiety disorders as opposed to years ago.

High school seems to be a common time for those problems to manifest themselves. I know I was on anti depressants and anti-anxiety medication off and on during highschool. I graduated 10yrs ago.
Lots of people I know where also on medication then. I also had 5 people between my class and the class below me diagnosed as bi-polar.

 

[caitycaity]

i was in hs 1992-1996.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I believe it is a trend. Everyone is depressed at some time, teenagers included.

IMO, parents, schools and society are doing a very poor job of teaching coping skills. If life is not perfect there must be a pill to fix it!

Note that DH is a pharmacist and our family is making a lot of money off this trend. I still firmly believe it is wrong and would gladly lose the profits if we could educate people to cope.

 

[grinningghost]

Just a word of caution from someone who has battled clinical depression for years - don't try to talk someone out of meds if a doctor has diagnosed them with clinical depression. I shudder to think what might happen to a person who really was clinically depressed and got talked out of taking their meds. Honestly, there is nothing blacker and darker than clinical depression, and it's hidden very easily. Nobody outside of these boards knows about mine except DH and my parents. I appear to be the picture of happiness and joy in public.

 

[chesirechik]

I graduated in '98 and I have been on and off Prozac and Zoloft since I was about 14. H.S. was very stressful. I was having full blown panic attacks over my grades - sports - job by the time I was 15-16.

I know a lot of my friends at the time were in the same boat.

 

[Jenzebelle]

I agree that much like ADD and ADHD, sometimes Dr's are quick to pass out pills to depressed teens when therapy might be a better alternative.

I do have to say that I definitely needed medication to cope through parts of HS and a few years afterwards, or I would have been a basket case due to depression and panic attacks.Due to a friend's suicide, another friend's tragic death, and stress over grades and sports- among other things

It had nothing to do with poor parenting or inability to cope with high school and I resent any implication that was what caused it. I don't know anyone that liked being on medication or liked being depressed or liked having panic attacks.

 

[DISNEYFANRI]

as a parent of a teen DD who was diagnosed with depression 2 yrs ago and a teen son who was just diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety disorder I find it very sad that these things are considered "trends". I can honestly tell you that with my 2 children meds were the last resort...my DD did not feel cool - or trendy. Five years ago I would have argued if anyone would have told me we would be facing this....thankfully - my DD is now off all meds (she was on Paxil then Celexa). We are just beginning to get help for DS - meds and counseling.

Please don't dismiss this as a "fad" or "trend" - there are kids out there that cannot get through these things on their own- nor can their parents help. I've been there.

Just my 2 cents.....Paula

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I respect ALL of the opinions expressed here.

I would like to see some viewpoints on HOW people made it through the teen years in the past without all of the meds and counseling?

I believe there are people that, without a doubt, need the meds. But I also believe that medication is no longer used as last resort in a lot of cases.

 

[jamsmom]

I know from experience that when one takes anti-depressents, it is easy to feel worse because it is like "WHy can;t I handle life without taking medicine?" so, you want to stop, which makes it worse. Then, if a parents or a friend, or you read some where that people think it is a trend, then it is easier to try to stay off the medicine. That can be really bad for someone who is clinically depressed.

 

[chesirechik]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse

I would like to see some viewpoints on HOW people made it through the teen years in the past without all of the meds and counseling?

I frankly think that things were not as stressful as they are now. You could not pay me enough to go back to high school and deal with grades, getting into college, work, classmates, boyfriends, peer pressure, sports, extra curricular activities - it's never ending stress. My brother is a senior and he's going through it all right now.

 

[caitycaity]

there are so many factors as to why the rate of depression might be increasing. likewise, i believe that in the past, teens had a stronger support system than many do in today's society.

 

[fklhou]

A sophmore girl at my older two children's school committed sucide last weekend. My middle child was on the swim team and had a study hall with her.

The school is taking the situation very very seriously and has had counselors available for the students. I have to wonder if medication could have possible prevented this sucide.

 

[Jenzebelle]

I agree with Caity and Chesirechik.
Life is different now. More and more kids are dealing with absentee parents, difficult and complicated home lives, increased school responsibilities, as well as a weaker support system.

I also believe that people are much more accepting of mental illness nowadays and are more likely to seek help for their problems, which results in more people in therapy and on medication.

Both my Mother and Grandmother have had to deal with clinical depression and panic disorder. But in the early 70's when my Mother was in HS, and in the early 50's when my Grandmother was in HS, you didn't see a therapist and you didn't admit if you were depressed. Yeah they got through HS just fine without medication, and I probably would have as well. I doubt I would have been able to achieve as much as I did in HS without Zoloft.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

This is just my opinion, and it's based on my experience. In our school system, the entire elementary school is based on GIVING the children self esteem. Making them feel good about themselves.

Now I am all for that in theory, but the only kind of lasting, productive self esteem is that earned by doing esteemable things. We have had problem kids taken out for a steak dinner, because they behaved for 5 minutes.

If kids do not have strong, earned self esteem, then as they climb the educational ladder the challenges and stresses loom large as they have always felt good about themselves without any real reason to do so. When that changes, I am sure it's very difficult to handle.

Does this make any sense, or am I doing a pathetic job of explaining my thoughts???!?!