Brian Quinn, LCSW, PhD., Author Of A New Book On Bipolar Disorder, Discusses The Risks Of Antidepressants In Angry, Agitated Teens

Main Category: Bipolar
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 12 May 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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Dr. Quinn's new book reviews the most up-to-date research on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder and provides readers with a comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and treatment of entire spectrum of bipolar disorders.

Eric Harris, one of the shooters at Columbine, was on an antidepressant when he and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and then themselves. Jeff Weise, who killed nine people and then himself in Red Lake, Minnesota, was also on an antidepressant, and Kip Kinkel was on an antidepressant when he fatally shot his parents, two students and wounded dozens at a high school in Springfield, Oregon.

Antidepressants have been linked to worsening hostility, suicidal behavior and psychosis in depressed children and teens and some people with bipolar disorder. While no one can say that antidepressants caused Harris, Weise, and Kinkel to commit mass murder, all these cases raise the question of who should be given antidepressants and who should not.

"These drugs tend to be handed out routinely to anyone with symptoms of depression and without a great deal of thought given to accurate diagnosis or the risks involved in using them, especially in young people with agitated depression," said Brian Quinn, LCSW, PhD., author of a new book, Wiley Concise Guides to Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder (John Wiley & Sons, 2007). "We don't know what the diagnoses of these kids were, but we do know that they all had angry, agitated depressions -- an indication they may have had bipolar disorder or could respond to antidepressants with a worsening of their symptoms. Caution should have dictated that they not be given antidepressants initially."

"Psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers frequently misdiagnose those in the depressed phase of bipolar illness as having simple depression. This often results in them mistakenly being given antidepressants alone," Quinn said.

Quinn is a clinical social worker with a private practice in Huntington, New York. A nationally known speaker, he conducts live and Web-based seminars throughout the country on treating depression and bipolar illness. He is also the author of "The Depression Sourcebook, 2nd edition."

www.BrianQuinnPhD.com

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