Prozac 'more effective than counselling'

Anti-depressants are the best way to treat children with depression, according to a US Government study out today.

The drug Prozac was found to be more effective in helping youngsters overcome depression than counselling, researchers found.

The study comes against a backdrop of intense international debate about the best way to treat depressed children.

It is estimated up to 40,000 children and teenagers are taking anti-depressants in the UK.

Regulators have prohibited the use of all anti-depressants other than Prozac for those under 18 in the UK, amid fears that they can lead to suicidal tendencies.

The US study was sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health and unlike many other trials did not have any backing from drugs companies.

Teenagers who were given just counselling showed no better results than those who were given a placebo in the trial.

Those who were given anti-depressants showed the biggest improvement.

When the drug was combined with counselling, the improvement was greater still.

“This study should put to rest doubts about whether these drugs work in teenagers with severe depression,” said study author Dr Graham Emslie, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Some 439 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 were involved in the study. All were suffering from moderate to severe depression.

For 36 weeks they were given either Prozac, a placebo or a combination of Prozac and counselling.

According to the data analysed so far, 378 participants completed the first 12 weeks of the 36-week study.

In this time 71% of the subjects who received Prozac and counselling responded well to treatment, compared with 61% of those who received just Prozac, 43% who received just counselling and 35% who received a placebo.

Regardless of the treatment given, all of the adolescents became less suicidal. None of those involved in the study attempted suicide.

However, while five of the youths who were given Prozac attempted suicide, there was just one suicide attempt in the other test groups.

Despite the findings on suicide, the study authors said the benefits of prescribing Prozac to youths outweighed the “extremely rare” risks.

British doctors were recently told not to prescribe the majority of anti-depressants to children amid fears they could make young patients suicidal.

The 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.

The medicines watchdog studied a raft a evidence from drugs companies concerning the treatments and came to the conclusion that the risks outweighed the benefits.

The side effects have been shown to include suicidal feelings, anxiety, insomnia, weight loss and headaches.

However, the agency said Prozac appeared to have “a positive balance of risks and benefits” in treating under-18s.