Use of antidepressants by children debated after doctor's shooting
06:18 PM CDT on Monday, September 6, 2004
Source: Associated Press by kvue.com
HOUSTON — The case of a 10-year-old Houston-area boy accused of killing his father is fueling concern about children's use of antidepressants.
The boy's mother, Deborah Geisler, says a psychiatrist prescribed Prozac for her son in early August after he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
Police say the 10-year-old, whose name has not been released, used his mother's pistol to shoot Dr. Rick Lohstroh in his vehicle Aug. 27. The father had gone to his ex-wife's west Harris County home to pick up the boy and his younger brother for a week's visitation at his Friendswood home.
The Houston Chronicle reports most medical experts don't believe antidepressants prompt violent acts. Instead, they say the emotional problems that prompt the prescription and access to a gun can boil over into a destructive act.
