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A mother-of-two has revealed her six year old was prescribed Prozac for his extreme anxiousness.

The anonymous woman, believed to be from Australia, noted her son had always been dramatic, but she told Nine Honey his antics ‘broke my heart every day’.

As the boy grew older, his anxiety became more obvious and more of a roadblock towards he and his family leading a normal life.

His mother explained he could not leave her side, whether it be walking along the footpath or sitting in a cafe.

‘He couldn’t look anyone in the eye or exchange even a few words. He seemed sad and alone,’ she said.

‘Occasionally when I talked to him I could see his eyes were glassy with tears but he refused to communicate with me.’

The family sought help anywhere they could, with counsellors, therapists and psychologists, shares Daily Mail.

While things would very slowly improve with the young boy, his problems were still very present.

He had also begun to throw ‘ear splitting’ tantrums.

It wasn’t until the family went to see a developmental psychiatrist that things changed.

The mother explained within moments of the psychiatrist and the boy meeting, he had been prescribed anti-depressants.

Though not entirely on board, she agreed to let her child try them.

‘Within weeks I had a completely different child on my hands,’ she said. She described the boy as ‘happy and light-hearted’ and explained that had begun when he went onto the anti-depressants and had not changed.

The mother-of-two still struggles with their decision.

“I was desperate and so agreed that we’d try them. And within weeks I had a completely different child on my hands. He was happy and sweet and light-hearted and lovely and he remains so. But I worry. I worry every day, all day, that I may be doing him some harm.”

“We continue to see a therapist regularly and that seems to help too. I know he loves me dearly and he knows he has my heart. Will we take him off the medication in the very near future? I suspect so. For even though it is clearly working I am not sure I can live with the idea that I’m medicating my son to make him fit into this world better. Surely there’s something else that his father and I can do?”

Nick Harrop, campaigns manager at YoungMinds, said: “Antidepressants can have a place in treating some mental health conditions among young people but they should never be the only course of action.

“It’s important to have a balanced approach to treatment, combining a range of therapies to ensure that the person has the best possible chance of recovery.

“It’s also important that children and parents have comprehensive information about the effects that antidepressants can have.

Fight for Kids shares, more than 17 million children worldwide have been prescribed psychiatric drugs so dangerous that medicine regulatory agencies in Europe, Australia and the United States have issued warnings that antidepressants, for example, can cause suicide and hostility in children and adolescents.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also issued a warning that stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin and Concerta can cause suicidal thoughts as well as violent, aggressive and psychotic behaviour, and that these same drugs can cause heart attacks, stroke and sudden death.

Between 1995 and 1999, antidepressant use increased 580% in the under 6 population and 151% in the 7-12 age group. In 2004, the FDA ordered that a “black box” label be placed on antidepressants warning that they can cause suicide in children and adolescents.

If you or someone you know are struggling and need support please contact beyondblue 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline 13 11 14.

Related story – Baby boy prescribed anti-depressants

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  • i think that this is sad and kids should be kids and find another way first! try something else!

    Reply

  • I’d be getting a second opinion. That’s ridiculous.

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  • Amazed at how the boy is, but it seems to be working and she is continuing to go to the doctor. Who knows if he will grow out of it? Perhaps she should look inside her family to see if this is a genetic disorder as it often is.

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  • When I was a kid, these actions were deemed to be because of shyness, not depression. My sister in laws son was on anti depression medication at age 10. She is on medication for mental health issues herself so I think she just couldn’t cope with her son. He said 30 now, on multiple medications, living at home with mum (never moved out), smoking pot all night whilst playing games on a console, sleeping all day. Never worked, never had a girlfriend, has no idea how to cope on his own. Very sad

    Reply

  • I know of parents who have twin girls. One is very outgoing the other one was very withdrawn and definitely unhappy. After visits to a few specialists and tests for diagnosis they found out she has an anxiety disorder and has had it since a baby. She is still being monitored and having therapy. She has improved a lot but still has “bad days”. I don’t know if she is on medication or not……….I know of another girlwho threatened suicide on a few occasions and also at one stage had a fascination for sharp knives. Her Mother’s attitude was no help to her either.

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  • I was horrified at his mother when I first heard this. But she seems genuinely heartbroken that it came to this. There are so many parents who are so quick to medicate their kids because solving the problems causing behaviour issues is just too hard but this poor mum wanted to try everything but medication. I hope this works for them and her guilt goes away.

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  • I’ve worked for many years as a psychiatric nurse, also with very young children. In some cases anti-depressants or other drugs can be helpful indeed. This should only be prescribed by an experienced childrens-psychiatrist and continious monitored and reduced and stopped when possible.

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