Hi Dee,

You must be very concerned and confused over the use of prozac with your daughter, and it seems you have been given conflicting advice that adds to this.

Even experts within the field of psychiatry will have their own opinions about the worth of certain treatment methods. I'm not an expert in the field of neurological development in children but it's possible that a pediatric specialist may be able to help you.

In terms of prozac use for selective mutism in children it's use is largely supported, but some specialists prefer to prescribe it to older children. The assumption is that selective mutism is related to social anxiety disorder and various (small scale) studies point to its effectiveness.

You also have a broader question about whether prozac causes brain damage. This is more difficult to answer partly because we don't really have an understanding of its long term use. As with any drug that affects brain function you will always find large numbers of people who claim terrible things can happen, but I have to say I'm unaware of any large scale properly controlled study that says prozac results in brain damage. In fact prozac is sometimes used for brain damaged patients.

I think what may make your situation different is the fact that prozac was prescribed for your daughter at a very young age when the brain is still developing. Perhaps another person will be able to answer this situation more directly but, as I said previously, I suspect the most competent answer will come from a child psychiatrist or pediatrician with a specialism in childhood developmental disorders.

I wish you well in your search for information and I'm sure many readers would be interested to know what you discover.

Best Wishes