Teen aggression possibly linked to Prozac usage

In a recent animal study, the results showed that hamsters became more aggressive when given low doses of the common anti-depressant prescription drug Prozac, while high doses of the same drug caused lower aggression levels. All of these findings came from juvenile hamsters as well.

In adult hamsters, high or low doses of Prozac caused very little in terms of aggression levels, suggesting that adolescent and adult brains are quite different. Although doctors affiliated with the study described that hamsters and humans are quite different -- and that this latest study on Prozac had limitations due to this -- the fact is still rather startling. Why do some kids taking Prozac seem to become more violent and ever suicidal?

Dr. Jon Shaw -- Director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine -- said that "There are a lot of studies on the maturation and evolution of the central nervous system structure through adolescence, and nobody thinks the adult brain is [the same as] the child's brain. And this just reminds us that other studies are needed to try and understand what the difference means in terms of metabolism of drugs."

In other words, designing and prescribing an anti-depressant drug for one human audience may not be the wisest course of action. From this latest study on Prozac, those expert medical opinions seem to be well-justified.