Antidepressants Do Reduce Suicide Risks

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More evidence on the controversy of prescribing antidepressants to suicidal patients: The first analysis of all longitudinal suicidal event data in published and unpublished placebo-controlled randomized trials on the topic found no evidence of increased suicide risk with treatment. The studies included in the analysis had assessed fluoxetine(Drug information on fluoxetine) in adults, youth, and geriatric patients and venlafaxine in adults. This contradicts earlier findings that led the FDA to issue a black box warning for antidepressants and risk of suicide in children and adolescents. In the new study, lower suicide risk was strongly related to reductions in the severity of depression, and changes over time in suicide risk closely mirrored those of changes in depression severity among both youth and adults.


RESULT: Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior With Antidepressant Treatment
Archives of General Psychiatry | Feb 9, 2012 (FREE FULL TEXT)



Part of the problem, according to the review below, is that statistical methods used in public health studies have been borrowed for the analysis of drug risks, perhaps inappropriately. The FDA action was based largely on suicidal thoughts, observe the authors from the University of Chicago, but depressed patients often have suicidal thoughts that do not lead to action. Overall, they find little evidence to link medication with the risk of suicide and related behavior. 


RESULT: Strategies for Quantifying the Relationship between Medications and Suicidal Behaviour: What has been Learned?
Drug Safety (PubMed) | May 1, 2011 (Free abstract. Full text $59.94)