Children suicides

Of greater concern is the safety of the TCAs. Toxic levels of these medications can produce lethal cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and suppression of breathing. An overdose of a 1-2 week supply of most TCAs is often fatal, a serious consideration when prescribing medication to depressed patients with suicidal thoughts. Children taking imipramine for treatment of ADHD have died from sudden cardiac death consequently, child psychiatrists seldom use TCAs. Likewise, patients with heart disease or seizure disorders are more likely to have dangerous complications from TCAs and should avoid them. 

Suicidality in children and adolescents Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in short-term studies in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of trazodone or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need. Patients who are started on therapy should be observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. Families and caregivers should be advised of the need for close observation and communication with the prescriber. Trazodone not approved for use in pediatric patients (see Clinical worsening and suicide risk and Children sections in Warnings). 

Suicidality in children and adolescents Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in short-term studies in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of olanzapine/fluoxetine or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with clinical need. 

The main acute effect is inebriation, which in turn spawns violence, spousal and child abuse, crime, motor vehicle accidents, workplace and home accidents, drowning, suicide, and accidental death. The chronic effects include alcoholism, liver disease, various forms of cancer, brain disorders, cardiovascular disease and other organ system effects, absence from or loss of work, family dysfunction, and malnutrition. 

Rates of Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm-Related Death among Children—26 Industrialized Countries. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 46, February 7, 1997, pp. lOlffi Concludes that the United States has by far the highest rates of child homicide, suicide, and firearms-related deaths among the industrialized nations. 

Rao, U., Weissman, M.M., Martin, J.A., and Hammond, R.W (1993) Childhood depression and risk of suicide a preliminary report of a longitudinal study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32 21-27. 

Apter, A., Gothelf, D., Orbach, L, Weizman, R., Ratzoni, G., Har-Even, D., and Tgano, S. (1995) Correlation of suicidal and violent behavior in different diagnosis categories in hospitalized adolescent patients. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34 912-918. 

Kruesi, M.J., Grossman, J., Pennington, J.M., Woodward, P.J.,Duda, D., and Hirsch, J.G. (1999) Suicide and violence prevention parent education in the emergency department. / Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38 250-255. 

Thought content. Patterns in a child s thinking may include suicidality, homicidality, paranoia, delusions, preoccupations, anxieties, and themes emerging from a disorganized thinking pattern. 

Brent, D.A., Baugher, M., Bridge, J., Chen, J., and Beery, L. (1999a) Age and sex-related risk factors for adolescent suicide./ Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38 1497-1505. 

Gould, M.S., Fisher, R, Parides, M., Flory, M., and Shaffer, D. (1996) Psychosocial risk factors of child and adolescent completed suicide. Arch Gen Psychiatry 53 1155-1162. 

Brent, D.A., Perper, J.A., Moritz, G., et al. (1995) Posttraumatic stress disorder in peers of adolescent suicide victims./ Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34 209—215. 

Many eminent persons have had children with serious mental problems and have had at least one child take his or her life. Robert Frost s daughter was committed to the state mental hospital and another daughter had a nervous breakdown. One of Albert Einstein s children was diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ambrose Bierce s oldest son committed suicide, and his other died of alcoholism at age 27. Thomas Edison had two children who became alcoholics, one of whom committed suicide. Alfred Stieglitz s daughter was psychotic and committed to a mental institution. James Joyce had two children. His son became an alcoholic his daughter went mad and, as discussed, was admitted to an asylum for schizophrenia. Numerous other examples demonstrate the frequent problems of geniuses children. Many of these children tried unsuccessfully to pursue careers similar to their eminent parents, but it is not clear if this played any role in their mental problems. 

Whittington et al. s (2004) meta-analysis led The Lancet to publish an editorial titled Depressing Research (2004), in which the world s oldest medical journal described the anguish of families who lose a child to suicide. It went on ... 

The child was hospitalized first for 3 days, and then for 17 days. He gradually improved. Then, 3 weeks after his last hospitalization, his local physician—not one of the clinical investigators—put him back on fluoxetine. The child became acutely suicidal, until the fluoxetine was stopped a second time. 

Like any addictive stimulant, methylphenidate and amphetamine can cause withdrawal symptoms such as crashing with depression, exhaustion, withdrawal, irritability, and suicidal feelings. However, parents and teachers almost never recognize a withdrawal reaction when their student or child gets upset after missing a single dose. Instead, they mistakenly believe that the child needs to be kept on the medication. 

Koizumi, J. (1991). Fluoxetine and suicidal ideation. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 695. 

Suicidal thoughts or plans Problematic use of alcohol or drugs Domestic violence, child abuse, or elder abuse... 

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