This article reports on a recent recommendation made by the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines in the United Kingdom, who advised that most of the antidepressant drugs in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor group should not be used to treat major depressive disorder in children & adolescents under the age of 18 years, due to recent findings that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may increase the risk of suicide thoughts & self harm in young people. Implications are discussed. (12 refs)