Children's Health

Did FDA Teen Suicide Warning Backfire?

Kids Not Getting Depression Treatment of Any Kind continued...

Brown says the findings underscore how important it is for parents to know when their children need support for mental health issues.

"It is important for parents to be able to talk with their children and to learn if their children are feeling like killing themselves," he says. "A conversation like that can be a lifesaver. There is no way to help these kids if they suffer in silence. Asking kids if they are suicidal does not increase their risk of killing themselves, and may actually give them the opportunity to talk about how they are actually feeling."

Both Brown and Birmaher stress that antidepressants and psychotherapy are both effective treatments for depression. They say untreated depression -- not treated depression -- is the true cause of suicide.