Suicide caused in kids on anti-depressants

From CBS:

Congress is investigating whether the FDA -- which is supposed to protect
the public -- sat on medical evidence and failed to act quickly on a
possible link between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in children,
reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

With ten million American kids a year prescribed Paxil or other popular
anti-depressants, the question of whether the drugs actually cause suicidal
behavior in children is crucial.

Last summer, a link was revealed in data from Paxil's maker,
GlaxoSmithKline.

"It has us worried," said an FDA internal document.

So the FDA assigned one of its respected medical officers, Andrew Mosholder,
to look at studies of eight anti-depressants and thousands of troubled kids.

What he found added fuel to the fire.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, there were twice as many
suicide-related events in children who took antidepressants as those who got
only sugar pills.

Mosholder called the findings "difficult to dismiss." But the public never
got to hear those results. As Mosholder prepared to report to this FDA panel
last month, there was an incredible turn of events.

Sources claim Mosholder's FDA bosses intervened and "pressured him to change
his conclusions" to make them "ambiguous and less definitive."

At the last minute, they took his report off the agenda entirely.

Word of Mosholder's findings got out to the media anyway. That's when FDA
managers launched a criminal investigation to find which employees leaked
the report. Even though, according to one source, "it's clearly information
the public should have."

Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning on anti-depressants and
suicide, but watered it down by implying there was really no strong
evidence -- making no mention of Mosholder's findings.

Patient advocate with the Alliance for Human Research Vera Hassner Sharav
says top FDA officials are watching out for the drug industry, not
consumers.

"What we want to know is why the FDA has been sitting on this evidence and
pretending, now after all this time, there is no evidence," Sharav says.

Congress is asking the same questions. Did the FDA try to suppress a link
between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in kids, and did it try to
intimidate employees who exposed the risks.

wrote:

From CBS:

Congress is investigating whether the FDA -- which is supposed to protect
the public -- sat on medical evidence and failed to act quickly on a
possible link between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in children,
reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

With ten million American kids a year prescribed Paxil or other popular
anti-depressants, the question of whether the drugs actually cause suicidal
behavior in children is crucial.

Last summer, a link was revealed in data from Paxil's maker,
GlaxoSmithKline.

"It has us worried," said an FDA internal document.

So the FDA assigned one of its respected medical officers, Andrew Mosholder,
to look at studies of eight anti-depressants and thousands of troubled kids.

What he found added fuel to the fire.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, there were twice as many
suicide-related events in children who took antidepressants as those who got
only sugar pills.

Mosholder called the findings "difficult to dismiss." But the public never
got to hear those results. As Mosholder prepared to report to this FDA panel
last month, there was an incredible turn of events.

Sources claim Mosholder's FDA bosses intervened and "pressured him to change
his conclusions" to make them "ambiguous and less definitive."

At the last minute, they took his report off the agenda entirely.

Word of Mosholder's findings got out to the media anyway. That's when FDA
managers launched a criminal investigation to find which employees leaked
the report. Even though, according to one source, "it's clearly information
the public should have."

Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning on anti-depressants and
suicide, but watered it down by implying there was really no strong
evidence -- making no mention of Mosholder's findings.

Patient advocate with the Alliance for Human Research Vera Hassner Sharav
says top FDA officials are watching out for the drug industry, not
consumers.

"What we want to know is why the FDA has been sitting on this evidence and
pretending, now after all this time, there is no evidence," Sharav says.

Congress is asking the same questions. Did the FDA try to suppress a link
between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in kids, and did it try to
intimidate employees who exposed the risks.
-----------------
This supposed link in adults was alleged early on with Prozac, and
it was found to be non-causal, since suicide is ALSO a symptom of
depression ITSELF! In other words, there were no more suicides with
Prozac for the same patient cohort, than there were without it for
that cohort with that illness.

The similar process is happening with kids, because FDA was slow
to approve it for first teens and then kids without long-term adult
studies, which were done, and so now we have the kids' studies to
review, and only then, after doing the real methodology, will we
know if there really IS a link, or whether this is just another
case of blaming incidence of suicide on a non-causal factor.
Steve

Could that be because kids on anti depressants ARE generally depressed
and therefore more prone to suicide?

wrote:

From CBS:

Congress is investigating whether the FDA -- which is supposed to protect
the public -- sat on medical evidence and failed to act quickly on a
possible link between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in children,
reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

With ten million American kids a year prescribed Paxil or other popular
anti-depressants, the question of whether the drugs actually cause suicidal
behavior in children is crucial.

Last summer, a link was revealed in data from Paxil's maker,
GlaxoSmithKline.

"It has us worried," said an FDA internal document.

So the FDA assigned one of its respected medical officers, Andrew Mosholder,
to look at studies of eight anti-depressants and thousands of troubled kids.

What he found added fuel to the fire.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, there were twice as many
suicide-related events in children who took antidepressants as those who got
only sugar pills.

Mosholder called the findings "difficult to dismiss." But the public never
got to hear those results. As Mosholder prepared to report to this FDA panel
last month, there was an incredible turn of events.

Sources claim Mosholder's FDA bosses intervened and "pressured him to change
his conclusions" to make them "ambiguous and less definitive."

At the last minute, they took his report off the agenda entirely.

Word of Mosholder's findings got out to the media anyway. That's when FDA
managers launched a criminal investigation to find which employees leaked
the report. Even though, according to one source, "it's clearly information
the public should have."

Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning on anti-depressants and
suicide, but watered it down by implying there was really no strong
evidence -- making no mention of Mosholder's findings.

Patient advocate with the Alliance for Human Research Vera Hassner Sharav
says top FDA officials are watching out for the drug industry, not
consumers.

"What we want to know is why the FDA has been sitting on this evidence and
pretending, now after all this time, there is no evidence," Sharav says.

Congress is asking the same questions. Did the FDA try to suppress a link
between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in kids, and did it try to
intimidate employees who exposed the risks.

That's kind of like the chicken or the egg theory - which came first? Quite
a spin if you ask me. One thing is for sure, if the anti-depressant
couldn't stop them from committing suicide anyway, then what's the friggin
point of taking it???

I have taken enough newer medications to know personally that there is
something wrong with the info on side-effects that the public is fed. For
example, Nystatin, I was never told could cause liver damage..... I was
never told about any side-effects except nausea. I only found out when I
went to see a nutritionist and told her about the problems I'd been having
and what I was taking. I had such a horrible reaction to Erythromycin, I
almost had to be hospitalized. Never was I warned of the possibilities.

"R. Steve Walz" wrote in message
...
wrote:

From CBS:

Congress is investigating whether the FDA -- which is supposed to
protect
the public -- sat on medical evidence and failed to act quickly on a
possible link between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in
children,
reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

With ten million American kids a year prescribed Paxil or other popular
anti-depressants, the question of whether the drugs actually cause
suicidal
behavior in children is crucial.

Last summer, a link was revealed in data from Paxil's maker,
GlaxoSmithKline.

"It has us worried," said an FDA internal document.

So the FDA assigned one of its respected medical officers, Andrew
Mosholder,
to look at studies of eight anti-depressants and thousands of troubled
kids.

What he found added fuel to the fire.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, there were twice as many
suicide-related events in children who took antidepressants as those who
got
only sugar pills.

Mosholder called the findings "difficult to dismiss." But the public
never
got to hear those results. As Mosholder prepared to report to this FDA
panel
last month, there was an incredible turn of events.

Sources claim Mosholder's FDA bosses intervened and "pressured him to
change
his conclusions" to make them "ambiguous and less definitive."

At the last minute, they took his report off the agenda entirely.

Word of Mosholder's findings got out to the media anyway. That's when
FDA
managers launched a criminal investigation to find which employees
leaked
the report. Even though, according to one source, "it's clearly
information
the public should have."

Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning on anti-depressants and
suicide, but watered it down by implying there was really no strong
evidence -- making no mention of Mosholder's findings.

Patient advocate with the Alliance for Human Research Vera Hassner
Sharav
says top FDA officials are watching out for the drug industry, not
consumers.

"What we want to know is why the FDA has been sitting on this evidence
and
pretending, now after all this time, there is no evidence," Sharav says.

Congress is asking the same questions. Did the FDA try to suppress a
link
between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in kids, and did it try
to
intimidate employees who exposed the risks.
-----------------
This supposed link in adults was alleged early on with Prozac, and
it was found to be non-causal, since suicide is ALSO a symptom of
depression ITSELF! In other words, there were no more suicides with
Prozac for the same patient cohort, than there were without it for
that cohort with that illness.

The similar process is happening with kids, because FDA was slow
to approve it for first teens and then kids without long-term adult
studies, which were done, and so now we have the kids' studies to
review, and only then, after doing the real methodology, will we
know if there really IS a link, or whether this is just another
case of blaming incidence of suicide on a non-causal factor.
Steve

People don't always take anti-depressants for depression. My FIL takes it
for ADHD. I can't say I've ever seen a clinically depressed 5 year old, and
yet I've heard that 5 year olds have committed suicide on this stuff. To me
that's unfathomable.

"greccogirl" wrote in message
...
Could that be because kids on anti depressants ARE generally depressed
and therefore more prone to suicide?

wrote:

From CBS:

Congress is investigating whether the FDA -- which is supposed to protect
the public -- sat on medical evidence and failed to act quickly on a
possible link between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in children,
reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

With ten million American kids a year prescribed Paxil or other popular
anti-depressants, the question of whether the drugs actually cause
suicidal
behavior in children is crucial.

Last summer, a link was revealed in data from Paxil's maker,
GlaxoSmithKline.

"It has us worried," said an FDA internal document.

So the FDA assigned one of its respected medical officers, Andrew
Mosholder,
to look at studies of eight anti-depressants and thousands of troubled
kids.

What he found added fuel to the fire.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, there were twice as many
suicide-related events in children who took antidepressants as those who
got
only sugar pills.

Mosholder called the findings "difficult to dismiss." But the public
never
got to hear those results. As Mosholder prepared to report to this FDA
panel
last month, there was an incredible turn of events.

Sources claim Mosholder's FDA bosses intervened and "pressured him to
change
his conclusions" to make them "ambiguous and less definitive."

At the last minute, they took his report off the agenda entirely.

Word of Mosholder's findings got out to the media anyway. That's when FDA
managers launched a criminal investigation to find which employees leaked
the report. Even though, according to one source, "it's clearly
information
the public should have."

Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning on anti-depressants and
suicide, but watered it down by implying there was really no strong
evidence -- making no mention of Mosholder's findings.

Patient advocate with the Alliance for Human Research Vera Hassner Sharav
says top FDA officials are watching out for the drug industry, not
consumers.

"What we want to know is why the FDA has been sitting on this evidence
and
pretending, now after all this time, there is no evidence," Sharav says.

Congress is asking the same questions. Did the FDA try to suppress a link
between anti-depressants and suicidal behavior in kids, and did it try to
intimidate employees who exposed the risks.

wrote:

That's kind of like the chicken or the egg theory - which came first? Quite
a spin if you ask me. One thing is for sure, if the anti-depressant
couldn't stop them from committing suicide anyway, then what's the friggin
point of taking it???
-----------------------
You idiot.
Anyone who understands statistical causation and Science will know
how to tell the difference, even if you DON'T! All drugs work to
differing degrees with different people, and their behavior is only
properly measured statistically, and not absolutely by anecdotal
evidence. Go study statistics and standard deviation and get a clue!
Steve


This supposed link in adults was alleged early on with Prozac, and
it was found to be non-causal, since suicide is ALSO a symptom of
depression ITSELF! In other words, there were no more suicides with
Prozac for the same patient cohort, than there were without it for
that cohort with that illness.

The similar process is happening with kids, because FDA was slow
to approve it for first teens and then kids without long-term adult
studies, which were done, and so now we have the kids' studies to
review, and only then, after doing the real methodology, will we
know if there really IS a link, or whether this is just another
case of blaming incidence of suicide on a non-causal factor.
Steve

wrote:

People don't always take anti-depressants for depression. My FIL takes it
for ADHD. I can't say I've ever seen a clinically depressed 5 year old, and
yet I've heard that 5 year olds have committed suicide on this stuff. To me
that's unfathomable.
---------------------
Then you're unaware that this happens without it as well.
Steve