Teen suicidal rates are on the rise in the United States. It ismoer than the good side becoming a major epidemic in today’s society. “The decade-long trend of medicating young people for mental health issues continues to grow, with new firgres showing 30,706 young people under 18 were prescribed anti-depressants such as Prozac in the 12 to June 2008. In the same year, 4,000 children under 10 were also given mood-establishing drugs, with 500 of them not even 5 years old.” (Mayoh, Lisa. “Are We Over-Medicating Our Kids?”) Lately, we have become more and more unaware of what teens are going through. There are many solutions to this, one being anti-depressants. If teens with anti-depressants, it can decrease teen suicidal rates dramatically.

A lot o fpeople are with this idea, saying that teens should be able to take anti-depressants because it can help improve all aspects of their lives. But at the same time, people are also against teens taking anti-depressants, saying that it can only hurt the teen more than it can help them.

Anti-depressants can help improve someone’s life drastically. “It has be proven to be helpful for children over 12, usually in conjustion with other treatments including cognitive behaviorial therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy with trained proffessionals.” (Mayoh, Lisa. “Are We Over-Medicating Our Kids?”) Anti-depressants have been shown to improve someone’s lifestyle if they have been diagnosed with depression. They help improve one’s work life, as well as family life for the entire household.

People think that teens should not be prescribed anti-depressants because of sevral reasons. They have been shown to have advers side effects including but not limited to; sever suicidal thoughts, having an unusually mellow mood, and not even helping the problem, b ut making it worse instead. People tend to believe in the bad side of anti-depressants more than the good side of them. This tends to give anti-depressants a bad reputation rather than the good reputation that they deserve.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, anti-depressants have been shown to improve several aspects of a person;s life, making their lives less depressing than it was for them before. Even though they have been known to cause suicidal thoughts, anti-depressants have also been known to both prevent and get rid of the suicidal thougths that a person has. “Previously anti-medication, Lucy said the decision to put her son on medication was one of the hardest she has ever had to make—and one of the best.” (Mayoh, Lisa. “Are We Over-Medicating Our Kids?”)

The life of a teenager can be extremely stressful, with all of the school work they do, all of the peer pressure they deal with, as well as raging hormoines. As well as all of these things listed, teens also have to deal with what is perhaps the most difficult thing for a teen to deal with: self-esteem. All of the peer pressure a teen has to deal with causes them to think, “Am I really that kind of person?” this can cause a majority of the stress that they would have to deal with. Anti-depressants have been medically shown to help with all of these problems and situations, and even get rid of them in one way or another.

There has also been an increase in the teen workforce. A lot of teens in today’s society are known to do school work, extra-curricular activities, and work, all at once. For some teens, this can be too much to deal with, causing extreme stress. There are many outlets for this stress, but sometimes they just are not enough for the teen so they need a little extra boost. Anti-depressants can be this boost that teens are looking for, instead of marijuana, crack-cocaine, and various other drugs and narcotics that teens are on in today’s society.
If a teen who is clinically depressed is put on anti-depressants, not only can their lifestyle be improved, but their work life can be improved as well. Teens with depression are normally not willing to do as many work assignments as someone without depression, but if they are on anti-depressants; their work ethic can be improved. They could also be more motivated in the workplace, motivating co-workers to do better in the things they do. Teens may also be more able to deal with daunting tasks, such as being the only one working at the workplace that day, or being one of only two people working that day. Some teens with clinical depression are not willing to interact with co-workers, but if they are on medication for their depression, they could be more willing to interact with co-workers and customers, making their day that much better.

Life at home can be difficult for teens these days. A lot of teens are abused, both mentally and physically, causing clinical depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Along with these, there can also be problems at home, such as financial issues, isolation, and mood swings. These problems have all been known to cause division in the family, and even divorce with the parents. Teens sometimes blame themselves for these problems, which can also lead to clinical depression, and again, suicidal thoughts. If a teen is put on medication for their depression, it could help improve these problems and maybe even drastically improve the home life. The family mood can be changed for the better, helping to deal with financial issues since a lot of today’s teens help out with the family bills and other things.

Teens have also been known to exclude themselves from family activities because of severe depression. If this depression is treated with anti-depressants, they could be more willing to do things with the family, such as having a family game night, going out to eat with the family, and going to places such as the park or the movies.

As well as having troubles spending time with family because of depression, teens have also been known to have problems with doing household chores because of depression as well. But again, if this depression is treated, they could be more willing to help out with household chores such as washing dishes, taking out the trash, and cleaning the house, thus leading to a healthier life at home.

So, in conclusion, suicidal rates are on the rise in the United States. It is becoming a major epidemic in today’s society, lately, we have become more and more unaware of what teens are going through. There are many solutions to this problem, one being anti-depressants. If teens with depression are prescribed anti-depressants, it can decrease teen suicidal rates drastically and help improve all aspects of their lives such as lifestyles, their work life, and their family life.

Works Cited:
Mayoh, Lisa. “Are We Over-Medicating Our Kids?” Sunday Herald-sun (Melbourne) Australia 25 Jul, 2010: 2. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 08 Dec, 2011