A new poll of 512 parents with children under 18 from Columbia University’s Carmel Hill Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment shows that most parents are concerned about teen depression, yet many feel uncertain about treating adolescents with medication. The survey, conducted amidst the current controversy over anti-depressant safety, shows that:

• 68% of parents fear that anti-depressants are being over-prescribed to young people

• 31% of parents believe that teens are harmed by anti-depressants and 31% say they are not
• Parents who consider anti-depressants harmful cite suicide, brain development and weight gain or loss as possible side effects
• A majority of parents worry that most teens suffering from depression are not receiving treatment
• Over half of parents believe that many teenagers receiving treatment for depression don’t have the disorder

Read the full study’s results here.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by John M. Grohol, PsyD (or subscribe to their feed).

Comments

This post currently has no comments. You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts on our new comments page.

Trackbacks

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 3 Jun 2004
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.