DRUGS CAN HELP DEPRESSED KIDS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) Children are just as likely to be depressed as
adults and drugs routinely prescribed for their parents can help them as
well, researchers said on Thursday.

A report published on Thursday found that fluoxetine, sold widely under the
brand name Prozac, can greatly help children with clinical depression.

Dr. Graham Emslie and colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center in Dallas found fluoxetine relieved the symptoms of
depression in more than half the children and adolescents who were given
the drugs.

"This significant study has, for the first time, shown that depression in
children can be treated, and that treatment can be effective," said Michael
Faenza, president of the U.S. National Mental Health Association.

Their 96 patients, aged 7 to 17, got either 20 mg of fluoxetine or a dummy
pill.

"Twentyseven (56%) of those receiving fluoxetine and 16 (33%) receiving
placebo were rated 'much' or 'very much' improved on the Clinical Global
Impressions scale at study exit," they wrote in a report in the American
Medical Association's Archives of General Psychiatry.

After eight weeks, 74% of those on the drug improved, compared to 58% on
placebo. But complete recovery was rare in either group.

Prozac, made by Eli Lilly and Co., is one of the world's biggest selling
drugs. It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Drugs in this
class work to effectively increase brain levels of serotonin, a
neurotransmitter or messagecarrying chemical linked to mood.

Emslie's group said their study indicated the drug was safe for children.
"The tragedy is that too many of our children go undiagnosed and
undertreated," Faenza said in a statement. "We know that mental health
problems in children often lead to school failure, substance abuse and even
suicide. Yet with early recognition and appropriate and timely access to
care, the majority of these children can be helped."

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
estimates that 20% of all children under 18 suffer from a diagnosable
mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. Children living in poverty seem
to be at higher risk.