antidepressants?

[Autumn]

If it helps, prozac is the only antidepressant tested in the adolescent age group and is the only one to be licensed for use in under 18's in the UK. Other antidepressants are used in teenagers but they haven't been tested and you're the guinea pig.

I personally think that mind altering drugs are heavily over prescribed to teenagers who see adolescent depression (which is normal and has affected the human race forever) as a mental illness. The sudden hormonal and social changes, too much homework and parents who rarely listen to their children makes you feel low and even think of ending it all. Teenagers used to slam doors, told their parents they hated them and that they wished they were dead.

The culture now is that every teenager has a mental illness, is self harming or starving themselves. We used to compare clothes, now it's medication, open wounds and mental health diagnoses. Teenagers now lie under the bathwater and claim on here that they tried to commit suicide. They aren't suicidal, if they were they would walk in front of a train or off the top of a building.

As yours is the first generation to grow up on mind altering chemicals the long term effects are unknown. Prozac will artificially raise your seratonin levels and will severely reduce your appetite. As you are developing it is possible that you may become dependant on medications to raise your seratonin levels and without antidepressants you suffer chronic depression. Pharmaceutical companies are just waiting for the money to flood in from now on.

If you take an appetite suppressant now you may find that when you try to come off prozac in the future that you can't control your own food intake and start to binge eat. Your body may forget to know when you are full as a pill has been killing your appetite and you've had to eat even though your body says you don't need food. Take away the pill and you can easily eat through your natural body signals that you have had enough.

If you aren't seriously about to jump off a 10 storey building, hang yourself or cut through a major artery in your neck then I think you should wait until CBT becomes available. Antidepressants are an easy option for psychiatrists as well as they can write a prescription and not have to support you until therapy becomes available. A think that you should also avoid social media, particularly tunblr which is very pro-self harm, and facebook which is proven to make people miserable.

One of many articles on how social media makes you unhappy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...iable.html

Step away from internet accessible items and meet real people. Join a group such as zumba as exercise raises your seratonin levels naturally and helps you sleep well. Organisations such as the girl guides provide a great support system, fun events, opportunities for travel with the emotional support of older teenagers and adult leaders. See if your mum is up for some binding time - maybe go out for a coffee or do some baking together or even see if she will take you clothes shopping or for a manicure.

Please talk to your parents and see if they are willing to offer you the emotional support you need and make a promise to them that you will approach them if you feel bad.

Best wishes, A x