New FAIR Article ─── 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙎𝙎𝙍𝙄 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨, by @DrMcFillin
(full text below)
Today, normal adolescent mood turbulence is treated as pathology & we’re medicating teens with powerful antidepressants with dangerous side effects at alarming rates. How did we get here? And what are the irreversible consequences of conducting a mass experiment on an entire generation’s developing minds?
Here is Part 1 of our 3-part investigation into the dangers of SSRIs for adolescents
𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲:
Across the country, teens navigating the natural turbulence of growing up—transient struggles with identity, relationships, academic pressures, social media influence, and the hormonal shifts of rapid development—are being medicated with psychiatric drugs at alarming rates. What was once recognized as the normal emotional ebb and flow of adolescence is now treated as pathology, blurring the line between normal mood disturbance and true mental illness.
You're likely familiar with Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro—household names in the world of "antidepressants." Technically classified as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), these drugs have shown questionable effectiveness in adults and even less benefit for adolescents. Over the past decade, SSRI prescriptions for adolescents have surged by more than 60%, yet youth mental health has only worsened, with rising rates of depression and anxiety and a sharp increase in adolescent suicide.
Historically, clinical depression in teenagers was considered rare. But by redefining everyday struggles as a medical disorder, we have created a culture where a 15-minute doctor’s visit can result in a prescription for a powerful SSRI—a drug that has failed to produce any meaningful benefit for this age range and poses significant risks. What should be a cautious, thoughtful approach to adolescent distress has instead become a reckless pharmaceutical experiment, one that reshapes young brains with little regard for the long-term consequences.
SSRIs are known to cause a range of adverse side effects including worsened depression, sexual dysfunction, mania, psychosis, violence, and an increased suicide risk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (@US_FDA
) has already recognized young people's vulnerability to antidepressant side effects. In 2007, the FDA mandated a “black box” warning on antidepressants, citing increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in individuals under 25. This warning underscores the sensitive nature of brain chemistry during this critical developmental period.
Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD), a devastating condition that can permanently alter sexual function even after discontinuation, is now a growing concern for millions impacted by SSRIs. But could these drugs have even more profound effects, potentially reshaping the core of adolescent identity and sexual development? The surge in SSRI prescriptions for adolescents coincides with an unprecedented rise in gender dysphoria cases, yet this potential link remains largely unexplored. How did we get here? And what are the irreversible consequences of conducting a mass experiment on an entire generation’s developing minds?
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡
For decades, the popular explanation that depression results from a "chemical imbalance" – specifically, low serotonin levels – has dominated public understanding. When the FDA approved Prozac for adults in 1987, manufacturer Eli Lilly needed a straightforward, accessible explanation for their drug's mechanism of action. The "serotonin deficiency" narrative proved ideal: it simplified depression from a complex condition to a straightforward chemical problem with a convenient pharmaceutical solution.
This digestible storyline transformed psychiatry overnight. Medical schools taught it. Doctors internalized it. TV commercials promoted it. By the early 2000s, when pharmaceutical companies pushed to expand SSRI use from adults to teenagers, the groundwork was already laid. If depression was simply the result of a chemical imbalance, why wouldn't the same drugs work for adolescents?
Drug representatives flooded pediatricians' and psychiatrists' offices with branded merchandise, free lunches, and simplified educational materials that emphasized benefits while minimizing risks. Many physicians received their information about these medications not from independent research, but from company-sponsored continuing education—creating a closed system where critical voices are systematically excluded.
There's just one devastating problem: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.
FAIR for All @fairforall_org
https://x.com/fairforall_org/status/1905329470946279596#SSRIs #SerotoninTheoryDebunked #Therapy #Psychiatry #Pseudoscience #Skeptic #MedicalQuackery #Freespeech #Freethinkers #Propaganda #BigPharma #Gaslighting #JunkScience #SSRIDebunk
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