Rethinking childhood depression: Treatment options may be limited by resources

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7488.418-b

BMJ 2005;330:418 (19 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7488.418-b

Letter

Rethinking childhood depression

Treatment options may be limited by resources

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Working in a large urban practice in a new town,I have witnessed a rise in the prevalence of distressed and,according to one's definition, depressed children in the past15 years.¹ I have also been a school medical officer. Over thesame period I have seen attention and resources diverted frompsychiatric and children's services to chronic disease in elderlypeople. I have therefore often faced the dilemma of either offeringantidepressant drugs or effectively nothing. I welcome the debatein response to this article and sympathise with Timimi's contention,but society has given me the responsibility to "treat" unhappychildren without the means.

Politically, I believe that the agenda for the NHS is drivenby ageing voters. It is far easier for me to access comprehensivesupport for someone with Alzheimer's disease than it is forme to help a family with young children. Grandparents, support. . . [Full text of this article]

Christopher I Pelton, general practitioner

Wellington Medical Practice, Telford, Shropshire TF1 1PZ peltons@tiscali.co.uk

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