The debate about whether antidepressants work in children has been with us since the tricyclic era. A recent study evaluated the short-term efficacy and safety of a newer agent, desvenlafaxine (Pristiq).

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Suicidal thinking and behavior remains difficult to predict and challenging to address. As a resident in the mid-1980s, I made an annual trek from Naval Hospital San Diego to UCLA, bringing a year of painful experiences to the renowned Dr. Edwin Schneidman.

Historically, psychiatrists did not focus on identifying and treating risk factors for child and adolescent suicidal behavior. But after an increase in youth suicide rates in the 1980s, we started doing more research to get clarity about the issues. For example, we became aware that there were clusters of youth committing suicide—doing so in the same community and during the same time period. We suddenly recognized that hearing about a peer committing suicide would raise the risk for that peer’s close friends.

Tourette’s disorder (TD) is a movement disorder emerging during childhood that causes persistent motor and vocal tics. TD is treated with a variety of medications, but often with an off-label designation.

Since the 2004 FDA black-box warning on all antidepressants for pediatric use, controversy continues over the use of SSRIs and SNRIs in children and adolescents. Both classes of medication are still commonly used for pediatric depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.