Author: Jeremy Howick

By Jeremy Howick Oxford Empathy Programme An investigative report by the BBC recently found that the number of antidepressant prescriptions to children under 12 in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland has risen 24% over the past 3 years (from 14,500 to almost 18,000 prescriptions). Drugs may not be the most effective way to treat depression (more of which later), but pity the children who were treated for depression before antidepressants were invented. From Bloodletting to Lobotomies to Overprescriptions Bloodletting was the standard treatment for “melancholia” in ancient Greece. This was followed by burning in medieval Europe and locking people up…