The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) "should generally not be used in this age group" as trials had shown an "increased risk of suicidal behaviour". Its recommendations will be considered by the European Commission for further investigation.
The only antidepressant drug currently considered safe for use with children by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the SSRI drug fluoxetine, known commercially as Prozac. But the EMA guidance suggests this should not be used either.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, told Children Now the situation was "a total mess". He claimed clinicians were being put in an "impossible situation", and said the guidance also left parents with "a lot of fears" if their child was being prescribed Prozac.
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