Ablechild

My outlook on SSRI use in the pediatric population, part 2: Benefits and harms must be assessed over comparable time horizons Objection: "If SSRIs produce significant improvements in depression or OCD symptoms, doesn't that justify accepting some risk of adverse effects?" My response: Not necessarily. The magnitude, duration and consequences of both benefit and harm must be considered. I urge everybody to question whether several months of symptom improvement could justify exposing a child to the possibility of decades of: Genital anesthesia. Sexual anhedonia. Profound generalized anhedonia. Emotional blunting. Cognitive difficulties. Impaired intimate relationships. Other persistent or life-altering consequences related to the endocrine, heart health, metabolic, and other negative effects of these drugs. Evidence regarding sexual dysfunction and emotional numbness in children during treatment.: - pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article… - Human evidence of lasting sexual effects following childhood exposure in women, (fewer men partook in this study, the effects on the men were not deemed significant): - sciencedirect.com/science/ar… - Pirani et al. (2025): Persistent Genital Hypoesthesia Among Former Antidepressant Users: - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3930… - - Crucial limitation: This was a selected sample of sexual and gender minority young people, encompassing both minors and adults. It cannot establish a 13.2% PSSD prevalence among all antidepressant users or isolate the risk attributable to exposure during childhood (which could sadly be much higher). - All before they even fully develop their sexual/reproductive functioning, or understand these consequences. All before they can ever meaningfully consent. This decision, which can be life-altering for a certain number of people, in a wide number ways -neither of which can we currently estimate or understand - is made for them. Short-term clinical improvement must not be treated as equivalent to overall lifetime benefit, particularly when the potential harms may affect fundamental aspects of human functioning.