Over 11 million American children took antidepressant drugs in 2003. And the numbers are growing quickly-particularly among children aged five and younger. Little Boy Blue blends startling statistics with expert testimony, a mock public service announcement and words-from-the-mouths-of-babes to deliver a message that is a hard pill to swallow.
University of Victoria drug-policy researcher Alan Cassels asserts "the [pharmaceutical] industry is in basically two businesses-the business of creating chemicals and the business of creating disease." He examines the manipulative advertising techniques employed by drug companies and points out that they spend more money educating doctors about drugs than all medical schools in Canada combined. He also highlights the research of Dr. Andrew Mosholder, a senior epidemiologist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 2003, Mosholder found that children given antidepressants were nearly twice as likely to become suicidal.
Ultimately, this cautionary documentary challenges parents to arm themselves with questions before putting their children in the hands of "experts."
Discussion guide available for download here:
Little_Boy_Blue_discussion_guide.pdf
