The percentage of teens who have been prescribed antidepressant medications exceeds the percentage estimated to suffer from depression, a poll has found.
In a recent Gallup Youth Survey, 9 percent of 13- to 17-year- olds said they had been prescribed medication for depression at some point in their lives.
The National Institute of Mental Health, however, estimates that 5 percent of adolescents suffer from major depression.
The most commonly prescribed type of antidepressants — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — are not without risks.
The Food and Drug Administration now requires that manufacturers of these medications include a warning indicating that they increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in adolescents who take them.
The youth survey also found that 10 percent of teenagers had been prescribed medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The nonprofit Children and Adults with Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder estimates that between 3 percent and 7 percent of children have this disorder.
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