Teens And Depression

By Sora Song

The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that a new analysis of clinical data backs the idea that some antidepressant drugs increase the risk of suicide in teens. Debate over the issue, which has been simmering for more than a year, is complicated by the fact that depression alone makes suicide more likely and that the risks vary widely among different drugs. (Prozac, for example, seems to cause fewer problems than other drugs.) A decision by the FDA on new warning labels will probably come in September. Meanwhile, a study of 400 youths, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concluded that Prozac works best when combined with cognitive-behavior therapy.