More children are being prescribed antidepressants but there is little evidence that the drugs are safe or effective in youngsters, Italian scientists said on Friday.
More than 500,000 prescriptions for depression were written in Italy during 2002 and about 1,600 were for patients under 18.
Antonio Clavenna, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, and his colleagues said 1,200 young people were prescribed a class of drugs called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), most of which are unlicensed for use in children.
“The use of antidepressants in children is increasing, although the evidence for the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological treatment of depressive disorder in children and adolescents is scant,” Clavenna said in a letter published in the British Medical Journal.
The use of SSRIs in Italian children increased 4.5 fold between 2000 and 2002, according to the researchers.
The amount of antidepressants prescribed for children in Italy is lower than in the United States or the Netherlands, but Clavenna and his colleagues said it is worrying and more research is needed.
American researchers have also questioned the use of SSRIs to treat depression or mild or moderate mental illness in children.
“Appropriate, independently founded studies should be planned to guarantee effective and safe evidence-based therapeutic approaches for children, adolescents and their families,” Clavenna said.