Two Sides of the Debate Around Screening for Teen Suicide Risk

Relating to my previous entry on suicide in young people, there is a debate around screening for suicide risk via psychological evaluations.

Because of the concern for teen suicide, psych evaluations are growing and critics say that this has not been shown to prevent suicides. Critics also say that these screenings often lead to the teens receiving prescription medications. Many of these medications including antipsychotics have not bee approved for use in children and teens, yet the use of psychiatric drugs in young people have dramatically increased.

This of course, has economic implications for the drug industry.

On the other hand, proponents of screening programs include those who had lost loved ones to suicide. The more controversial proponents include antipsychiatry parties like scientology and its visible celebrity spokesman (we know who he is).

June 20, 2006 | Filed Under Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Drug Companies, Quality and Integrity, Society, Suicide 

Comments

One Response to “Two Sides of the Debate Around Screening for Teen Suicide Risk”

  1. Cat on November 5th, 2007 9:56 am

    …..More than just teens are being medicated! Why are teens suicidal? Why do they want to to?!
    Consider losing more than one person to you. Its hard, but you can get by. However if you keep losing more and more the weight of the pain continues, especially when they are in close time intervals.
    Then you have the people who are also upset for the same reason. You honesetly think its fair…? To try to hide your pain to help another?
    Its not!
    No one knows how to go about these problems without causing more problems.
    You have to be delicate cause its not as if they could become any more broken up. All thats left is the shatter.
    I have constant pain, not much I can do about it. I try. I cry. I give up… No one wants to tell anybody anything because they don’t want to be hated! They don’t want want to be considered Crazy and lose whatever they have left!
    IF YOU WANT TO STOP SUICIDES STOP PROMOTING THEM! STOP MAKING KIDS FEEL CRAZY! MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE THERES A REASON NOT A WAY TO CARRY ON FOR COUNTRY PROFIT! We are not crazy unless YOU say we are. Unless the COUNTRY wants us to believe we are for money to fill the pockets of greedy people and the country’s Debt!
    THINK ABOUT IT FIRST!
    Then screenings will not be necessary.

    <3
    Cat

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