Most anti-depressants unsuitable for children due to suicide risk

ANTI-depressant drugs which could make young patients suicidal have never been approved for children under 18 years of age, the Irish Medicines Board said yesterday.

|The Board was reacting to the situation in Britain where doctors were told not to prescribe the majority of anti-depressants to children amid suicide fears.

The British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said most SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) the most common type of antidepressant were not suitable for under-18s.