I'm not sure about pediatricians prescribing too often....but there seems to be an increase in the number of people in general being diagnosed with depression - I read an article about this awhile ago. The question is - are we just better at diagnosing depression and helping people with it, or are doctors just prescribing quick fixes? I don't know enough about depression to comment. I remember the article questioning how do we tell the difference between the "blues" and depression?

It does sadden me though that I know of so many women who go to their doctors with peri-menopausal or pre-menstrual syndromes, some of which could be alleviated by herbs and a good diet, and they come home with prescriptions for Paxil. We seem to want to numb ourselves from what we feel....