Puttin' It On The Table

I think this was a very astute topic to pick. It's something that is a bit taboo and something that should be and is slowly being addressed. I think you perhaps unknowingly you may have helped some of your peers by choosing this topic. Although there is clearly a very dark side to these drugs, I am wondering if you could find some articles that highlight the positive, things that people are doing right. Also maybe looking into where teens can get help, ie support groups, activist groups. I would also be interested to see if you could find more cases of doctors irresponsibly prescribing drugs (I know that you touched on it). I like that you respond with some more thought provoking questions, but I would also like to see some more of your thoughts, not just questions (again I think it's great that you are questioning). All in all I think you have hit on a very interesting topic that not only could you use for this project, but I think that if it is a subject you are passionate about researching it be carried into other writing/researching projects, maybe interviewing.
Well done!

Drug Maker Accused of Illegally Marketing Antidepressants for Kids and Teens

Forest Laboratories, the maker of the popular brand-name antidepressants Lexapro and Celexa, illegally marketed the drugs for use in children and teens while hiding data showing the drugs were not as effective as other drugs and increased the risk of suicide in younger people.

Lexapro and Celexa are two versions of the same drug, citalopram, and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use only in adults.

Lexapro is Forest’s best-selling drug, earning the company $2.3 billion in 2008 alone. The company has asked the FDA to approve the drug for use in treating depression in adolescents.

The Justice Department charged Forest Laboratories with illegally marketing Lexapro and Celexa from 2001 to 2004 by disclosing the positive results of a clinical study of the drugs without also releasing data showing the drugs were not effective in many children and could result in some young patients becoming suicidal.

Prosecutors also are seeking to recover money paid for prescriptions of the drugs for children under federal health-care benefits programs. That amount could reach millions of dollars

Forest also is accused of giving tickets to baseball games, gift certificates to expensive restaurants, and other forms of kickbacks to doctors who prescribed its drugs. Some physicians were sent on vacations paid for by the company.

Drug companies are now required to disclose the results of all their clinical trials, regardless of whether the results are positive or negative. However, Forest’s marketing of Celexa and Lexapro to adolescents and children happened before those rules were in place.

Forest knew about two studies conducted in the 1990s regarding the use of Celexa to treat depression in children, according to federal prosecutors. One study reached positive results about the use, while the other came to a negative conclusion on the issue

For years, Forest officials cited the positive study results to physicians in encouraging Celexa as a treatment for pediatric depression, but failed to disclose the negative study findings

Many physicians continue to prescribe Lexapro and Celexa to treat depression in children. The drugs carry a prominent “Black Box” warning to advise doctors and patients about the increased risk of suicide in children and teens.

Teenager bludgeoned his father to death after a GP prescribed him Prozac response

After reading this article it made me question just how much assessment goes into prescribing medications of this class. I'm sure there were other things that added to this situation and this boys stress and anger but in no way would I make this acceptable or excusable because of the drug. I feel as though both doctors should have been in touch with one another and the boys parents should be clearly warned of what down sides may occur. As well as being on this medicine I think it should be a requirement that you need to see a therapist for further help. I believe the medicine and someone to help you sort out and deal with your issues and problems is what needs to be done. I'm sure most people would be resilient but if this is what the result of that is then I think its more then rational. This is only a notch in the belt to other articles which I think should make people alarmed, and pro active.

Teenager bludgeoned his father to death after GP prescribed him Prozac

A teenager bludgeoned his father to death with a hammer and crowbar weeks after a GP prescribed him the controversial anti-depressant Prozac.
Edward Belben, 15, battered his father Gary at least 30 times with the weapons before plunging a knife into his head.
He then attacked his mother, Tanya, 43, with the bloody crowbar and stabbed her in the face with some scissors before she managed to escape.
Belben, now 17, was today convicted of murder and attempted murder after a jury heard he had fallen in with a 'bad crowd' and started taking a cocktail of street drugs including cannabis, cocaine, crack cocaine and amphetamines.
But during the trial the court was told two GPs ignored national guidelines when prescribing him anti-depressants, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which have been linked with a range of side-effects including suicide and violence.
Belben was given Citalopram by one GP, Dr Imran Ramjan, even though its use with under-18s was banned in 2003.
When the schoolboy complained of feeling in a 'dream-like state', another doctor at the practice, Teresa Thomas, put him on daily 20mg dose of Prozac - the only SSRI still allowed for children - despite warnings that 12-18-year-olds should start on 10mg.
Belben was also not given any psychiatric help prior to taking the drugs, contrary to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance in 2005 that pills should not be the 'first line' remedy for depression in under-18s.
Describing his mental state in the lead up to the attack, he later told a psychiatrist: 'I didn't feel real.'

Gary Belben was battered to death by his son, who then plunged a knife into his head
The GPs who prescribed the drugs could now face a fitness to practise hearing in front of the General Medical Council, which has the power to suspend them or strike them off.
Mental health charities yesterday warned many GPs still routinely hand out SSRIs because of a shortage of mental health experts in the NHS.

In September that year he was given Citalopram but switched to Prozac in November after complaining of the side-effects.
On December 17, the teenager attacked his father, a 59-year-old mechanic, at the family home in Colchester, Essex.
Prosecutor Martyn Levett(CORR) said: 'The defendant took the hammer and hit him on the top of the skull, fracturing it, and then with either the hammer or crowbar or both continued to hit him on top of the skull about 30 times.
'The skull fractured so seriously bits of brain fractured off onto the weapons and also the defendant's clothing.
'After using the weapons to kill the man, experts believe the defendant then plunged the carving knife into his brain.'
Consultant clinical pharmacologist Dr Andrew Herxheimer(CORR), who examined Belben, said: 'The most striking thing he told me was... "a sudden thing came up in my head and I had to do it".'

response to "Antidepressant labels to carry new warning of life-threatening side effect"

what exactly in an SSRI and SNRI causes this? and how come up until now it wasnt printed on a lable? I'm curious to know how many deaths have occured and in what age brackets. During all of my research it seem that this catagory of drug is not wel marketed in letting patients know all side effects including the ones that could happen while pregnate. and "With one in 10 Americans taking prescription antidepressants" thats a lot of possiblity for things to go wrong. Something i dont think we should be gambling with. With so many people on this drug there must be some new focus on trying to modify it. "tripling of prescriptions since 1988.". I would like to know why the prescirption rate as trippled. why are people more and more depressed and why are prescirptions so easly writen? its seems to me that any tom dick and hary could walk into a docotors office and be prescribed an SSRI,SNRI.

Antidepressant labels to carry new warning of life-threatening side effect

The FDA has ordered a wide range of antidepressants to carry new warnings of an unusual but potentially deadly side effect seen most often in the first few weeks of treatment or when a patient increases dosages. The labels of two classes of new-generation medications for depression -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) must now notify patients that malignant neuroleptic syndrome has been linked to the use of these drugs. labels to alert patients of the danger were those making Celexa, Cymbalta, Effexor, Lexapro, Paxil, Pexeva, Pristiq, Prozac, Venlafaxine and Zoloft. In Malignant neuroleptic syndrome, patients experience muscle rigidity, extreme variations in body temperature and wild fluctuations of heart rate and blood pressure -- all signs of malfunction in the body's autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary body functions. Malignant neuroleptic syndrome has been associated with older antipsychotic medication such as haloperidol, lithium salts and risperidone. But the widespread use of SSRI and SNRI antidepressants has made this syndrome a more common and visible affliction.
With one in 10 Americans taking prescription antidepressants, medicines such as Zoloft, Prozac and Effexor are currently the most commonly prescribed class of drugs in the United States, just ahead of high-blood pressure medicine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And SSRIs and SNRIs have become by far the most common types of antidepressant dispensed by pharmacies, driving a tripling of prescriptions since 1988.
Malignant neuroleptic syndrome is a rare but extremely dangerous condition that results in death in, by some estimates, 10% to 20% of cases. Until recently, it was so uncommon it was unlikely to be recognized in many emergency departments. But the widespread use of SSRIs and SNRI antidepressants had made this bizarre syndrome a more common affliction seen in emergency departments.

Response to "Stressed by His Short Allele"

My two most recent articles are closely related. Both discuss genetic variation and how certain people react to medicines differently then others. I have to pose the question is this going to put a dent in ones wallet? And are doctors as well as pharmicutical companies going to invest the time and money? "those people who have a short allele for the serotonin transporter have been suggested to exhibit more "anxious" personality traits. This means our differences in gene function may bias our brains and our personalities to create a tendency to be more "negative," "anxious" or reactive to stress." Does this only refer to mental health or are other medicines as well as the way they affect you differed by your genetic makeup?

Stressed By His Short Allele

Individual differences in the genetic makeup of the serotonin system have been shown to increase one's vulnerability to depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions, particularly if individuals are exposed to stressful events in their lives. Studies are showing that certain people (those that have the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene) have a greater biological reactivity to stressful events, including a larger hormonal response to stress and a greater brain reactivity to threat. In other words, both the hormonal and brain systems (amygdala) involved in fear and anxiety are more active in response to stress in those individuals who have a certain genetic makeup (short allele). This genetic difference may also account for individual differences in personality; those people who have a short allele for the serotonin transporter have been suggested to exhibit more "anxious" personality traits. This means our differences in gene function may bias our brains and our personalities to create a tendency to be more "negative," "anxious" or reactive to stress.

This begs the question: should modern medicine and psychotherapeutic approaches be extended to better account for these individual genetic variations in the stress response (and the serotonin system)? The idea that we may be able to refine our approach to medicine to account for these types of individual differences (in genetics, personality, the stress response and beyond) is pertinent to the continuing evolution of medicine and science, and one that is indeed increasingly being adopted by clinicians interested in a "personalized medicine" approach to traditional medical treatment and other forms of therapy. Furthermore, looking at a person's biological make-up has applications for being able to better predict which individuals may be more at risk for mental health difficulties.

While the idea that our genetics may be used to tailor our individual medical treatments and to screen us for vulnerabilities could appear to some like a vision from the movie Gattaca (1997 science fiction film), such refinement in our medical approach may prove to be a significant step forward.

Response to Dr. Francis Lee

I had no idea that there was such thing as "pharmacogenetics" which uses your genes and other genetic information to test how you'll react to medications along with classes of medications. But is this going to cost an astronomical amount of money? most likely but instead of all the trial and error shouldn't it be made available. The use of pharmacogenetic testing is viewed by many as an outstanding opportunity to improve prescribing safety and efficacy. Driving this are the 106,000 deaths and 2.2 Million serious events caused by adverse drug reactions in the US each year.

Dr. Francis Lee (Developing Genetic Test To Guide The Treatment Of Depression)

Dr. Lee's researchs into the molecular and neural mechanisms of depression, anxiety disorder and other mental illnesses. In particular, he identified that a genetic variation, or SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism), in the gene for a growth called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may predict patients' responses to drug treatment. This new approach, known as pharmacogenetics, could lead to diagnostic testing to guide the treatment of depression, replacing the current "trial-and-error" method. Dr. Lee's research with mice show that those with the BDNF polymorphism are more prone to anxiety and respond less successfully to a class of common antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine, and sertraline.

Dr. Lee is using this research toward treatment of survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Working with his NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell colleague Dr. JoAnn Difede, Dr. Lee screens patients for the BDNF polymorphism. They hypothesize that patients with the polymorphism may not respond the same to SSRIs, but may respond better to different treatment approaches (that do not rely on BDNF function) such as cognitive enhancers like D-cycloserine (DCS) combined with Dr. Difede's virtual-reality exposure therapy. According to Dr. Lee, approximately 30 percent of patients test positive for the BDNF polymorphism.

Response to Antidepressants may damage more sex lives

Not that I can relate to this topic or even being to understand how it effects a persons sex life, but I found this rather interesting. Of course there are pro's and con's to everything but would you think that part of your life would change so dramatically from taking a medication that is supposed to be helping you. After reading this article and doing a little bit more research it showed that some people never stop having these side effect while others once off the medication are perfectly fine. "In the past two or three years, scattered published case reports from around the country have described patients whose sexual symptoms failed to resolve after going off antidepressants". I'm surprised these side effects aren't printed on the bottle. Like in my previous posts pharmaceutical companies fail to warn doctors as well as the patients of possible side effects. Psychologist Audrey Bahrick at the University of Iowa says "Among their symptoms, were "telltale signs" of SSRI-caused dysfunction, unrelated to the known effects of mental illness. They had "pleasureless orgasms," and "genital anesthesia," in which sex feels no more intense than a handshake. She became particularly concerned about adolescents put on antidepressants, whose sexuality might never have a chance to develop normally". With 74.5 % of teens on antidepressants that's a large amount of people it could possibly affect. This article also says this mean about 1 in 8 american adults are affected by SSR's. Kenvin Bennett, a 30 year old whos sexual functions was perfectly fine until he turned 18 and was prescibed Prozac. He has been impotent ever since. His doctors as well as others cant seem to find an alternative explantion other then SSRI.

Response to Dr. Francis Lee

I had no idea that there was such thing as "pharmacogenetics" which uses your genes and other genetic information to test how you'll react to medications along with classes of medications. But is this going to cost an astronomical amount of money? most likely but instead of all the trial and error shouldn't it be made available. Pharmacogenetic testing is viewed by many as an outstanding opportunity to improve prescribing safety and efficacy. Pushing this are the 106,000 deaths and 2.2 Million serious events caused by adverse drug reactions in the US each year. I would like to know more about what exact polymorphism it is that causes the anxiety and stress in comparison to the ones that don't

Antidepressants may damage more sex lives

Such sexual symptoms have long been known side effects of the popular Prozac class of antidepressants, but a growing body of research suggests that they are far more common than previously thought, perhaps affecting half or more of patients.

And a handful of recent medical and psychological journal articles document a small number of cases in which sexual problems remain even after a patient goes off the drugs.

"This is such an upsetting issue," said Aline Zoldbrod, a Lexington psychologist and sex therapist. "There are people for whom SSRIs are really life-saving, I think, but the idea that someone would have to choose between getting out of the darkness of depression and having a good sex life is horrible."

Current warnings on the labels of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, cite early studies in which the prevalence of sexual side effects was lower: 4 percent for Prozac, for example, and ranging from 0 to 28 percent for Paxil.

But more recent studies, in which patients were more likely to be asked about specific sexual side effects and thus more likely to report them, suggest that the ballpark range of those affected by SSRIs is between 30 percent and 50 percent, said researchers including Dr. Richard Balon, a psychiatry professor at Wayne State University who studies the symptoms.

That would translate into millions of affected sex lives among the estimated 1 in 8 American adults who have tried these antidepressants in the past decade or so. Some studies have found the range still higher.

In fact, the dampening sexual effects can be so dramatic that in recent years, the antidepressants have become the leading treatment for premature ejaculation, a study last year found, though they are not approved for that use by the FDA.

"I tell patients there's a good chance they may have sexual problems" while on the antidepressants, "with the most frequent being delayed orgasm," Balon said.

Representatives of some of the companies that make SSRIs pointed out that sexual dysfunction is complex to measure. Patients may be reluctant to discuss it, and it is hard to distinguish issues caused by the drug from problems caused by the underlying mental illness, by diseases such as diabetes, or by other medications, they said. The Prozac label states that "There are no adequate and well-controlled studies examining sexual dysfunction" of patients on Prozac.

In the past two or three years, scattered published case reports from around the country have described patients whose sexual symptoms failed to resolve after going off antidepressants.

Dr. Robert P. Kauffman, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Texas Tech University, has published accounts of three cases in his practice. "It's probably a small number of men and women," he said, "but I really think it deserves investigation."

Psychologist Audrey Bahrick at the University of Iowa said she became concerned when she observed that several clients whom she followed went off SSRIs and "very, very credibly to me, they did not recover" sexually.

Among their symptoms, she said, were "telltale signs" of SSRI-caused dysfunction, unrelated to the known effects of mental illness. They had "pleasureless orgasms," and "genital anesthesia," in which sex feels no more intense than a handshake. She became particularly concerned about adolescents put on antidepressants, whose sexuality might never have a chance to develop normally.

Bahrick began to explore. She found that post-SSRI sexual effects had never been systematically studied, but she came across a Yahoo group called SSRIsex, a support group for people with "persistent SSRI sexual side effects" that now has more than 1,800 members.

Among them was Kevin Bennett, a 30-year-old whose sexual function was normal until he was prescribed Prozac at age 18, and who has been impotent ever since, he says; his doctors can find no alternative explanation.

Both Bahrick and Bennett spoke about SSRI effects at a panel of the American Psychological Association last year.

Still, skepticism among psychiatrists remains. Balon said he has seen no such cases in his practice, though he does not rule out the possibility that the syndrome is rare but real. GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Paxil, "has not identified sexual dysfunction post-treatment as a safety signal," spokeswoman Sarah Alspach said in an e-mail.

Response to "SSRI Birth defects- The facts"

It seems as though my topic focus has shifted a little after researching further. Now leaning more towards the dangers of SSRI rather then the effects it has on brain chemistry. I think somehow the dangers and the brain chemistry part are going to connect, and obviously have something to do with each other. Back to what I found in previous articles, it seems that the pharmaceutical companies aren't focusing in the right area. When meeting your doctor or pharmacists should you have to shake his hand and wonder where his morality stands? Or should you just trust what he says because "he's a doctor". I think pharmaceutical companies should have to reprint there warning label on pill bottles. At the same time I could completely contradict my self...although I haven't looked into this much yet, but when you pick up your prescription pills you get a little booklet type thing that tells you all sorts of things about the drug you are taking. I makes me wonder if people take the time to read these. I understand that getting pregnant is unexpected but I'd also like to know how many of these woman where purposely trying to get pregnant and how many it accidentally happened to. Because if this drug is altering your brain this much don't you think it would alter something growing inside of you?

This piece from the article(below) should be placed on every pill bottle, as well as the pharmacists/ doctor mentioning to you these side effects.

"Heart defects are also associated with SSRI birth defects, namely Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac and Paxil. In 2005 the FDA issued a public health warning regarding Paxil, based on findings from 2 studies which showed up to a 2 times greater risk of having a baby with a heart birth defect while on Paxil. In conjunction with the warning, the FDA placed Paxil in its second highest category of drugs known to cause birth defects."


Another question of mine is does it only effect the baby if you're taking it during the gestation period or does it also have a long term effect...say you've been taking it since you were 20 and you're now 23 and ready to have a baby. Is it going to effect them in any way?

SSRI Birth Defects – The Facts

SSRIs – or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors--are a class of drug used to treat depression. Lexapro, also known generically as escitalopram oxalate, is an SSRI. The manufacturer of Lexapro, Forest Pharmaceutical, downplays the drug's dangers. Nowhere on its website is there any warning of possible side effects if taking the drug while pregnant, even though SSRIs have been linked to serious birth defects in babies.

On July 19, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Health Advisory to alert the public to the risks associated with taking SSRIs while pregnant. The advisory was based on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found that mothers who took SSRIs like Lexapro during the second half of their pregnancy were 6 times more likely to have a baby with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn (PPHN) than those who did not take SSRIs late in pregnancy.

Heart defects are also associated with SSRI birth defects, namely Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac and Paxil. In 2005 the FDA issued a public health warning regarding Paxil, based on findings from 2 studies which showed up to a 2 times greater risk of having a baby with a heart birth defect while on Paxil. In conjunction with the warning, the FDA placed Paxil in its second highest category of drugs known to cause birth defects.
Most recently, a study published in the November 2008 issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, reported a 3 times greater risk for heart defects in babies born to mothers taking either Prozac (fluoxetine) or Paxil. The study looked at babies born to 800 women who said they took either drug during the first trimesters of their pregnancies. Comparison was then made to 1,400 expectant mothers who were not on antidepressants of any kind.

Given this information Ann has good reason to be suspicious as to the cause of her son's heart defect and pulmonary hypertension. "My daughter is as healthy as can be. Then they put me on lexapro, and my son was born with these health problems," she said. If you were Ann, what conclusions would you draw?

Response to "antidepressants being conducted in secret"

This article was very informational I would have never expected some of the things I read. A lot of what I read was generally about the same thing, which was parents being upset with doctors for not being given correct warning as to how these drugs will effect there chilred along with confidentiality. This left me not much room to say much with out repeating myself. while reading this article I came across this "In another case a 14-year-old girl became suicidal after taking Zoloft. Her parents said they were not warned this might happen nor told to monitor her for symptoms of suicidal thoughts or self-harm." after reading this i was very shocked that parents were not notified about possible side effects. This is a serious drug that can, and does alter brain chemistry. It seems to me pharmaceutical companies care more about the money they will be making then the well being of those who are consuming the drugs. Along with doctors trying to keep confidentiality but in turn parents being upset with them for not sharing this serious information. I'm caught between sides because moraly I think its a doctors right to keep things condential but at the same time if its putting some one in harms way then shoulndt that bond of confidentiality be broken?

A good start - but incomplete!

Emily - a good beginning, but you need to work on citations, notes, responses. . .see me if you have questions. Fourth article is due this Friday, December 19.

anti-depressants being conducted 'in secret'

"Although there has not been a jump in adverse events from SSRIs, there has been community concern about potential overuse," said the TGA

Medicare stats show that, since 1990, when Prozac first was on pharmacy shelves, there have been almost 10,000 reports of suspected adverse reactions to SSRIs.

Over 12 million SSRI antidepressant scripts were subsidized by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme last year.

psychiatrist Yolande Lucire, has reported between 300 and 400 cases to the TGA which she claims patients have had serious reactions to the anti-depressants, a few who had committed suicide. This inquiry must be made public.

"This is being done in secret. We have no terms of reference, no opportunity for people to make submissions; it's a scandal." Says Dr.Lucire

Federal Health Department secretary Jane Halton wrote to Dr Lucire telling her that her inquiry was under way and the panel would report back to her at the end of this year.

"This only happened after," Dr Lucire said. "In frustration at being fobbed off by the TGA, I personally sent the head of the department 100 cases detailing what had actually happened to people who went from being fully functioning members of the community to patients with serious mental health problems and some who in fact killed themselves after being put on these drugs for stress-related disorders."

The TGA asked all drug companies that market SSRI anti-depressants in Australia to update the wording of their suicide warnings concerning children and young people under 24 years.

investigation revealed several hundred thousand prescriptions for anti-depressants like Zoloft and Prozac were last year prescribed to children and subsidized through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, despite the TGA and Pfizer, the company that markets Zoloft in Australia, recommending they not be prescribed to anyone under the age of 24.

Significant discrepancies in the information given to parents about the potential dangers of the drugs to children were also uncovered.

Two weeks ago, Melbourne mother reached a confidential court settlement with her 16-year-old daughter's GP, who she had sued for prescribing Zoloft to her daughter for depression.

Mulcahey claimed the drug made her daughter suicidal and said she was not advised of the risks.

In another case a 14-year-old girl became suicidal after taking Zoloft. Her parents said they were not warned this might happen nor told to monitor her for symptoms of suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

"But in the general setting I would say that nothing new in the literature suggests we need to be any more vigilant than we already have been when it comes to documenting the side effects of this class of drug," Dr Kitching said.

I think that all your topics are good ones, and I agree with you that some of them would be harder to research than others. Especially when it comes down to the whole youtube controversy. Many people do use and abuse that online network but it would be very hard to keep getting information because you would actually have to look for the bad stuff on youtube, and I don't know if I could take that mentally. It would be really tough, plus you would also have to fight the school system to get information. SSRIs sound like the best bet kid. GOOD LUCK!

Emily's Review

I really liked all three of your topics! But your last topic, SSRI's was very interesting. I think that you will be able to find alot of ongoing information to keep you busy for the length of time we have to research. You could interview people in the medical field to see what their opinions are about SSRI's. I'm sure that you will be able to find alot of information online, in books, magazines, and in the newspapers. I think that your last topic will keep you interested for a while, and I can't wait to hear more about what you have researched.

It sounds like you already have the topic you really want to do. It sounds like a really interesting topic and you're going to have a lot of currency because docotors are always changing and reasearching and trying new things. I would look into medical magazines I think you can find some online, a lot of those have intersting articles that really pick apart pros and cons of the situation. Also looking for interviews with people that have expierenced the medical procedures your writing about would really help your paper be relateable. I think your idea about really working with the brain and how the medicane effects a human sounds like a hit. You could write 50 pages on the brain and our minds and how it all fits together.
Good Luck!

My First Research

This year I'm very excited about doing my I Search paper because I'm going to be able to study my topic more in-depth then I was able to last year with the amount of time I'm given. The things I was most interested in studying were SSRI's and there affect on the brain, YouTube's pros and cons, and Nature. Vs. Nurture is it in our DNA or do we learn to behave that way?

I was very interested in SSRI's after reading an article in a magazine about teens and antidepressants. In the article it talked about how SSRI's work and the pros and cons of using that as a method to solve depression. While I was researching SSRI's I found it very easy to use all of the search engines/tools. It seemed to be a current topic that is constantly being updated. Doctors and pharmacists are constantly looking for alternative ways to treat depression. I found Google News and Marvel to be very helpful. Google News was most helpful though. Google news is updated by the minute so any time a new article is posted it comes up in your search results which I like because they were all very current unlike some that came while searching Marvel.

My second choice was YouTube and its pros and cons as well as how it affects today's youth. I decide this was something I was interested in because with all the talk on the news about girls fighting girls in middle school bathrooms and then posting it on YouTube for others to watch left me dumbfounded and wanting to know more about how YouTube is used and abused. It was really hard to find articles on Google news about this because the school has it blocked which meant I had to change my search a little bit to social networking. Once I did that I got a lot of hits, but nothing that sparked my interest. The databases were more helpful on this topic because they didn't block articles that mentioned things about YouTube. After researching about YouTube, although it will always be changing with the constant video uploads I don't think its something that could keep me interested for 6 months.

My third choice was Nature. Vs. Nurture, out of all three topics of interest this was the hardest to find current information. Google nor the Databases really had anything I wanted to read, it was mostly books about this topic or how this topic is intertwined in many other areas.

Over all I was most intrigued by SSRI’s and the affect on the brain, it struck me as something I could keep myself interested in for the next 6 months.