Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry: Melatonin reduced the risk of self-harm in children
Swedish researchers have linked melatonin use to a reduced risk of self-harm in adolescents with depression and anxiety. Study Findings published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
In the process, the authors studied more than 25,000 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 who were prescribed melatonin before bed by doctors. More than 87 percent of the participants suffered from at least one mental illness. Most often, these were subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depression, or autism spectrum disorders. Girls were about five times more likely to self-injure themselves than boys.
Related materials:
Specialists conducted a comparative analysis of self-harm in the same person during the intake and withdrawal of the drug. The last month without medication was taken into account with twelve months after the start of melatonin use. Factors such as genetic predisposition and degree of sleep disturbance were also taken into account.
The results showed that the risk of self-harm increased shortly before melatonin was started and decreased by about half within a few months of starting treatment. The strongest correlation was observed in adolescent girls with depression or anxiety disorder.
The study format does not allow establishing a causal relationship between melatonin and a decrease in the frequency of self-harm. However, the study also looked at groups taking and not taking antidepressants to see if the use of other medications might influence the findings. The data was similar.
Melatonin is a hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle and is often prescribed for sleep disorders. By acting on the MT 1, MT 2 and MT 3 receptors, melatonin has a hypnotic effect and increases drowsiness. In Russia and Sweden, the drug is over-the-counter.
#Melatonin #supplementation #linked #reduced #risk #selfharm #children