Preteen Ritalin May Increase Depression

WebMD Medical News ^ | Monday, December 08, 2003 | Daniel DeNoon

[GluteusMax]

Dec. 8, 2003 -- Ritalin use in preteen children may lead to depression later in life, studies of rats suggest.

It's an open question whether what passes for depression in lab rats has anything to do with depression in humans. But early use of Ritalin and other stimulant drugs seems to permanently alter animals' brains. That raises concerns that the same thing might be happening in children who take these drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The findings come from a research team led by William A. Carlezon Jr., PhD, director of the behavioral genetics laboratory at McLean Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. The study appears in the Dec. 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

"Rats exposed to Ritalin as juveniles showed large increases in learned-helplessness behavior during adulthood, suggesting a tendency toward depression," Carlezon says in a news release. "These rats also showed abnormally high levels of activity in familiar environments. [This] might reflect basic alterations in the way rats pay attention to their surroundings."

Ritalin, Cocaine, and the Brain

Ritalin and cocaine have different effects on humans. But their effects on the brain are very similar. When given to preteen rats, both drugs cause long-term changes in behavior.

One of the changes seems good. Early exposure to Ritalin makes rats less responsive to the rewarding effects of cocaine. But that's not all good. It might mean that the drug short-circuits the brain's reward system. That would make it difficult to experience pleasure -- a "hallmark symptom of depression," Carlezon and colleagues note.

The other change seems all bad. Early exposure to Ritalin increases rats' depressive-like responses in a stress test.

"These experiments suggest that preadolescent exposure to [Ritalin] in rats causes numerous complex behavioral adaptations, each of which endures into adulthood," Carlezon and colleagues conclude. "This work highlights the importance of a more thorough understanding of the enduring neurobiological effects of juvenile exposure to psychotropic drugs."

[GluteusMax]

I have heard anecdotal evidence that every school mass-shooting involved a child on a psychtropic drug like Ritalin.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

You mean pumping your kids full of mind-altering drugs is BAD for them?

(sarcasm)

[TXFireman]

ping

[GluteusMax]

You mean pumping your kids full of mind-altering drugs is BAD for them?

---

I'm astounded that so many parents just submit to demands by schools to put their kids on drugs like these.

[metalboy]

Depression in rats? "Oh man, I just don`t feel like getting on the wheel today."

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Agreed.

No matter what, my daughter will never be subjected to this new form of behavior-modification.

[Al B.]

"This work highlights the importance of a more thorough understanding of the enduring neurobiological effects of juvenile exposure to psychotropic drugs."

LOL...that's hilarious. Ritalin has only been on the market for 48 years.

[headsonpikes]

The drugging of children by the authorities is morally depraved.

HOP's fearless prediction: 50 years from now, this period of the 'War on Drugs'(HaHaHa) and Ritalin-dosing will be seen as akin to the crimes of the Nazis.

Go ahead - call that hyperbole.

But I say there is a just God.

[meadsjn]

I have heard anecdotal evidence that every school mass-shooting involved a child on a psychtropic drug like Ritalin.

It would be anecdotal if you could find one school mass-shooting that involved a child not on a psychotropic drug.

So far, there have been no exceptions. But that is only a coincidence, you know.

[GluteusMax]

A friend and coworker recently (2 weeks ago) told me he and his wife were on Prozac. I urged him to look into alternatives. He and his spouse both started using St. John's Wort and IMMEDIATELY his entire demeanor changed. He is energetic and happy now. He has thanked me repeatedly for urging him to educate himself on psychotropics. He says it is "like someone lifted a veil" from him, getting off that evil stuff.

I wouldn't tell anyone to go cold turkey if they are doing this crap, but PLEASE educate yourself on the potential dangers.

[GluteusMax]

The drugging of children by the authorities is morally depraved.

Amen.

[GluteusMax]

I totally agree with this, I was on Ritalin most of my younger years, and ended up being put on Zoloft when I was 16.

May I ask if this was the result of the school suggesting either of these drugs to your parents?

[T Minus Four]

"When given to preteen rats..."

Um, what exactly is the life expectancy of rats ?

[GluteusMax]

Um, what exactly is the life expectancy of rats ?

In rat years or human years?

[Maria S]

A TRUE story:

A friend's grandson (age 6) was 'diagnosed' as ADD at school, so my friend encouraged her daughter to PLEASE take him to see their family doctor (a chiropracter) before agreeing to the drugs. The doctor gave her a list of foods to avoid and foods to feed the little boy...three weeks later, he was a different kid! Calm, quiet, not bouncing off the walls! Just changing what the little guy was eating made all the difference. (This isn't about a chiropracter vs MD; it's about how what we eat makes a difference in our actions!)

[longtermmemmory]

Every shooting?!?!

WOW that would be a fantasy class action.

Parents may stop giving their children drugs and teachers would (GASP!!) have to do their jobs!


of course: This also means the drug companies have a built in future clientel of antidepressents.

[mewzilla]

LOL...that's hilarious. Ritalin has only been on the market for 48 years.

How long have they been dosing kids with it?

[headsonpikes]

Amen.

I am reminded somehow of those passages in the Bible in which God enjoins the Israelites not to 'pass their children through the flames', a supposed reference to the child-sacrificial rites of the Baal-worshipping Carthaginians.

Surely we can see that the modern State is the demanding Demon of our times. The cult of the State has rooted itself in all countries, unfortunately.

I take heart in Ephesians 6, v.10-17.