For depression and anxiety, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) may not be the best first line of treatment.

The statistics on kids being treated with medication for depression and anxiety is staggering. The cause is multifactorial and the treatment should be too. Doctors will usually prescribe counseling along with their prescription drug, which is important, but also is sometimes limited in effectiveness. SSRI’s can have dangerous side effects including worsening of symptoms, and the supportive research on its effectiveness is nebulous. Depending on severity and individual situations, you can use natural supplements and dietary changes in conjunction with medication or alone. There is also a possibility for genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP’s) that can be therapeutically addressed.