Impact of ethical considerations on treatment plan and communication with the patient

The informed agreement of the custodial parents to raise the dosage of depression medication is the first ethical factor to be taken into account. The majority of pediatric psychiatric drugs have been administered off-label, that is, without the required scientific research to result in FDA clearance. First and foremost, there is a serious worry about the effects of earlier and longer pharmacological intervention on developing brains (Lupien et al., 2018). There is proof that using neuroleptics and other psychotropic drugs results in long-lasting, if not permanent, alterations to the brain’s structure (Lupien et al., 2018).

Conclusion

The patient in the described scenario is an 8-year-old African American boy who comes to the emergency room with his mother. He is displaying depressive symptoms. The patient reports feeling sad, and the mother says the teacher has noted the child’s withdrawal from classmates, decreased appetite, and sporadic irritability. For depression, Zoloft 25 mg orally daily was chosen as the initial treatment option. 

Informed parental agreement to begin taking depression medication is the first ethical factor to be taken into account. The FDA insists that Zoloft is an off-label antidepressant drug for youngsters. Increase dosage to 50 mg of Zoloft daily under the second treatment strategy. The third course of action is to up the dose to 75 mg. The amount of reduction has now been sufficiently reduced. Consideration of a therapeutic response is based on sufficient symptom relief.

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