My daughter is 16 and is quite aggressive and hostile. She thinks everyone including the parents are against her and the only people who are with her are her friends. She often threatens to take a knife and stab herself. The doctor prescribed Serta tablets. I would like to know if it is OK for a 16 year old and if there could be any side effects
Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor. Thanks for your query. These symptoms could be indicative of an emotionally unstable personality disorder or even a psychotic disorder. Your daughter needs a detailed psychological assessment (which will include a detailed exploration of her symptoms as well as past, personal, social and childhood history, plus a mental state examination) to make a definitive diagnosis.  Serra (Sertraline) is an antidepressant medication which is relatively safer when compared to the older antidepressants and 50\u00a0mg is a low dose. However, this medication will usually take about 2-3 weeks to take full effect and there can be a mild increase in anxiety symptoms due to the medication in the first few days. Sertraline has been approved for the use in child Chat Doctor.  This doesn't mean that these medications should not be prescribed. In fact, the benefits which this medication provide clearly outweigh this mild risk, but its just that patients should be more cautious. Wish you all the best. -