Prozac ‘no better than placebo’ for treating children with depression, experts say

Exclusive: Clinical guidelines should change to avoid exposing young people to potentially harmful side-effects, researchers say

Clinical guidelines should no longer recommend Prozac for children, according to experts, after research showed it had no clinical benefit for treating depression in children and adolescents.

Globally one in seven 10-19 year olds have a mental health condition, according to the World Health Organization. In the UK, about a quarter of older teenagers and up to a fifth of younger children have anxiety, depression or other mental health problems.