Antidepressants are not effective for autism

Although people with autism have historically been given antidepressants, clinical trials have shown that the drug has almost no effect on children with this disease. And for adults, the effect is also very small.

Illustration.(Source: Internet)

The results of the study are published in the August issue of Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Scientists at the University of New South Wales and Sydney Children's Hospital in Australia conducted experiments for 149 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASDs). These children are divided into two groups. The first group was given selective serotonin inhibitors (SSRIs) and the comparison group was given placebo.

Results showed that about one-third of children with autism in each group showed signs of repeated behavioral improvement during the study period. There is no evidence that there is a difference in children receiving antidepressants.

Meanwhile, two experiments conducted with adults also showed only marginal improvement for people with autism using depressive drugs compared to placebo users.

Antidepressants were discovered in the 1950s and over many years of medical research and application, have become one of the most popular drugs available today.

There are about 30 antidepressants, most of them in one of four categories, including Tricyclics (tricyclic antidepressants); MAOIs (onoamine oxidase inhibitors); SSRIs (selective reuptake inhibitors on Serotonin) and SNRIs (reuptake inhibitors on Serotonin and Noradrenaline).

Currently in the United States there are three SSRI antidepressants, sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac) and fluvoxamine (Luvox), which are licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for children aged seven and over. .

Autism is a developmental disorder of the nervous system that manifests a mental disorder. Children with autism who lack or have developmental delays in their ability to interact in society, cannot use language in social activities, do not understand symbolic images, and do not know what to expect. statue.

The cause of the disease so far has not been clearly defined, but it is predicted that it originates from factors such as biochemical disorders of the body, chromosomal deformities and some of the conditions need to be studied more.