Do Babies Get Depressed?

Written by craig

Do babies get depressed? If only it were that simple . . . A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association presents a startling discovery and raises some even more startling questions. Let's have a look-see, okay?

The article found a frightening relationship between lowered levels of serotonin and the tragedy of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.Accoeding to info from the American SIDS Institute,

"SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. (Willinger et al, 1991).

"In a typical situation parents check on their supposedly sleeping infant to find him or her dead. This is the worst tragedy parents can face, a tragedy which leaves them with a sadness and a feeling of vulnerability that lasts throughout their lives. Since medicine can not tell them why their baby died, they blame themselves and often other innocent people. Their lives and those around them are changed forever. "

There has been considerable headway made in reducing SIDS deaths. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "the overall rate of SIDS in the United States has declined by more than 50% since 1990" (albeit less among minority populations). However, this still leaves 2000 or more deaths a year in the US for which there has been no plausable explanation . . . until now.

The authors of the JAMA study looked at serotonin levels in the brain stems of infants who had died from SIDS and compared these to those of children who had died of other causes. 'Net result: the levels in the SIDS group were 26% lower than the controls. Oddly enough, serotonin deficiency plays a role in depression with adults.

Is it possible that some day we can eliminate SIDS by using some sort of "Baby Prozac?"

What does this mean for the future of mental health if we're really dealing with something that's hardwired within us?

'Anybody out there think we can reduce SIDS by giving psychotherapy to a three-month-old child?