Teen Brain Development: Blos Revisited

 Teen Brain Development: Blos Revisited

  N. Szajnberg, MD, Managing Editor

 This recent, scholarly review of adolescent neurobiological  development, elaborates its complexity, both anatomically and  pharmacologically. In some sense, it re-presents eter Blos Sr.’s  books on adolescent development.   But,this review then continues with the implications  for trying to medicate the adolescent, including the controversies About the SSRI’s. 

 N. Szajnberg, MD

 By Karanges and McGregor: “The SSRI Controversy

 In recent years, the use of SSRIs in the treatment of childhood and adolescent depression and anxiety has become a topic of considerable debate. This debate is concerned with two issues, namely efficacy (i.e., SSRIs, with the possible exception of fluoxetine,[50] appear to have minimal efficacy in young people with depressive disorders[51,52]) and safety (i.e., SSRIs may cause serious  psychiatric side effects in children and adolescents, being associated  with worsening of depression and increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior,[53–56] particularly during the early stages of  treatment[57]). There are some indications that the SNRIs and TCAs may
 carry similar risks in adolescent populations.[58]”

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