Pre-schoolers on Prozac
2007-09-10 13:36:00.0
AUTHOR: Judy Turner
Why would a doctor prescribe anti-depressants for an infant under the age of three years? Figures released by UnitedFuture today from Pharmac show that in the last three years 2612 antidepressant scripts have been filled for two and three year olds. When our fantastic research staff first read me the information I felt sure they had made a mistake. But no, while the number of prescriptions for these products is tracking down, there is still 2425 scripts dispensed for under 10 year olds in the 06/07 year 652 of them for the under threes!
Dr Moodie has called on Medsafe to investigate and we say yaaah to that. But will this investigation merely result in improved prescribing advice to all doctors, or will those who are writing these scripts be individually held to account, and will parents be contacted so that the effects on those children affected can be ascertained?
Could somebody tell me exactly how can babies be depressed?