Are Medications For Mental Health Risky?

A study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio found that teenagers and young adults suffering from depression are overdosing on ADHD medications and antidepressants attempting to commit suicide.

In an interview with Dr. Siamak Hornardar from The Edmonton Trail Medical Clinic in Calgary, he stated that it is important to ask patients if they have any suicidal thoughts before prescribing an antidepressant.

“Before we prescribe an antidepressant, we have to be careful because this kind of medication can give them more energy which can push them to commit suicide,” said Dr. Hornardar.

Dr. Hornardar also added, “There is a higher chance of intoxication with the older generation than the newer generation of the antidepressants.” The reason for this, is that newer generations of antidepressants are different categories; the main ones are SSRIs and SNRIs, the older ones are the Tryciclic antidepressants (TCAs).

He also explained that suicide is one of the major problems associated with depression and anxiety.

Tatiana Salazar is a patient who suffers with depression and anxiety where she had to take two medications which were Escitalopram and Bupropion. Salazar explained the side effects that she got which were lack of sleep, headaches, and cramps.

She admitted that she was thinking of overdosing using these medications, but she did not do it because she thought of her son.

“When I lost my mom, my friend, and got divorced, I couldn’t help but think that I don’t deserve to live, they were the most important people in my life and it hurt to lose them,” expressed Salazar.

According to Dr. Hornardar, stimulants are drugs that are used to treat ADHD patients. They are divided into two major categories which are: short acting (which act fast and clear out faster, and are more addictive), and the long acting ones.


Dr. Hornardar says that the reason why it can be dangerous is due to their stimulant effect on the heart, which increases the heart rate and the blood pressure. He also stated that when the medications are prescribed to kids, it can affect their growth and their appetite.

Ayan Osman, who is a 23-year-old journalism student, suffers with ADHD and had taken medications such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse. Osman was diagnosed with ADHD and started taking Adderall when she was only 10 years old.

Osman described the following side effects that she would get which were mood swings, nausea, and it would make her lose appetite. “One of the things about the medications, like when I took Adderall and Ritalin it made me feel like a zombie, I felt like I wasn’t myself and I was much more calm than usual,” she described.

Osman believes that ADHD medications can be really bad for your body and says it can be as addicting as meth and she even herself decided that it was best to stop taking them.

She had decided that it was best to stop taking the ADHD medications, because she does not want to depend on them for the rest of her life.