Should teens be allowed to use antidepressants?
Depression is one of the biggest problems in the young generation, thus it is a popular topic for an argumentative essay. Researches have shown that depression is more common among youth than adults are. Many things can cause severe depression and the life of teens is more prone to such incidents. Break ups, deaths, failures are some common reasons of depression. Even though depression is fairly common among teens, it is not legal to take antidepressants for those who are under 16. Many support this law saying that it is for teens’ betterment, while many do not.
Antidepressants are not very healthy to take, as they hamper the personality of people. And it has a high chance of permanently damaging the teen’s personality. While the number of suicides has been increasing over the years mainly because of depression, risking permanent personality damage is a dangerous thing to do. 13.3 million People were using antidepressants in the USA in 1996. However, now that number has increased to 23-25 million. In addition, it is increasing every month.
Common reasons of teen depression:
There are numerous reasons for a teen to get in depression; some common ones are given in the list below:
- Drug usage
- Alcohol consumption
- Family disputes
- Sleep deprivations
- Break ups
- Mental disorders
- Learning disabilities
- Low confidence levels
- Violent nature
- Bad influence
What are antidepressants?
Antidepressants are a type of psychiatric medication, which helps the patients suffering from depressive disorders. Most of the antidepressants cure the patients by balancing the chemicals of neurotransmitters in the brain, which most of the time, is the main reason of depression. Other than this, many people have started using antidepressants as an illegal drug. Even many celebrities are known for taking antidepressants like Prozac, Celexa and Luvox. Antidepressants can become highly addictive if used for long period of time. While it is not proved, many people believe that if one uses antidepressants for a very long period of time, they will have a memory loss. However, that is a complete rumor.
Importance of antidepressants in teenagers:
It is a very crucial subject to discuss, as many parents whose teen is suffering from depression want to treat their child in the healthiest way possible. While most of the times use of antidepressants is totally safe, it can have some harmful side effects as well. If the teen is suffering from severe depression then it would be the best to consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible because then he or she will be able to tell one exactly whether the teen needs the antidepressants or not. However, overuse of antidepressants can be fatal. Therefore, one must carefully use them otherwise just avoid it.
Benefits of Antidepressants:
- Better Focus: As the depression of the patients is relieved by the help of antidepressants, it makes it easy for them to focus. Moreover, it balances the chemicals of neurotransmitter which is essential for focus.
- Helps in good sleep: Sleep disturbance becomes a common problem for depression patients. This problem makes it impossible for depressed teens to get a good sleep. However, antidepressants help them in having a good sleep.
- Relieves stress: It is known by everyone that antidepressants relieve stress. This makes it more common to be used as a stress reliever than as a medicine.
Antidepressants are essential for the teens who are suffering from an extremely high level of depression. However, it would be the best if one avoid taking antidepressants as a teen. Because it has its side effects that can make a growing teen suicidal. We can say that it mostly depends on the condition of a teen’s depression, to provide him or her antidepressants or not.
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