N. Meltem in keynote: Antidepressants increase children’s test scores
At the fifth Essen Economics of Mental Health Workshop that took place on July 18-20 N. Meltem Daysal was invited to give keynote along with Janet Currie.
Meltem shared her results on the investigation of the impacts of antidepressant treatment on academic achievement among Danish children who are referred to a child psychiatrist.
Meltem finds that treatment significantly increases test scores especially in math and among girls. Treatment effects are larger among children of less educated mothers who, in general, are less likely to be treated, indicating negative selection on gains based on observables.
However, there is positive selection on gains based on unobservables. Further analysis of marginal treatment effects and policy simulations indicate under-prescribing, contributing to controversy over the net benefits of antidepressants to children.
See more at the website for The Essen Economics of Mental Health Workshop 2022