Bloglander

Depression Meds and Kids
As of April 2014, more than two million kids 17 and under were taking antidepressants in the United States. A study published this week in The Lancet found little evidence to support the use of anti-depressants in children and teens. The research team examined more than 30 published studies, encompassing more than 5,000 kids. Fluoxetine (Prozac) was the lone drug intervention that seemed to show benefits greater than a placebo, although the research team noted the depressingly poor quality of the published research with problems including, but not limited to, lack of access to patient data, poor methodology and selective reporting.

Read more here. 

Talking it Out
So what is the best option for kids with major depression? Psychotherapy. Something that can be really hard to find if you are a parent with a struggling kid in the Inland Northwest. Read about the challenges facing kids dealing with depression and other mental health issues in “Overwhelming Need” in the June/July InHealth.

"Everyone gets sent to the emergency room," says Dr. Christian Rocholl, who works in pediatric emergency services at Sacred Heart. To him, this constitutes a "health care crisis.”

Read the whole story here.

Red-faced at the Red Cross
Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley released a year-long investigation into the Red Cross response to the 2010 devastating earthquake in Haiti.

“The most important thing (from the report) is an unwillingness to level with the people about exactly where the money went,” Grassley said in the interview. “There’s too many questions in regard to how the money was spent in Haiti that it gives me cause to wonder about money being donated for other national disasters.”

“One of the reasons they don’t want to answer the questions is it’s very embarrassing,” Grassley added.

Read coverage of the investigation here.