Young people may be at risk of suicide following antidepressant treatment

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Antidepressant medication may be linked to suicide attempts and death in very depressed children and adolescents.
There has been debate in recent years over whether antidepressants, particularly SSRIs (specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors), are linked to an increased risk of suicide. Research has suggested that the risk may be greater among children and teens on antidepressants. So the US Food and Drug Administration has asked manufacturers to include warnings to this effect on antidepressants. A team at the New York State Psychiatric Institute has tried to clarify the situation with a new study.

They have analyzed the records of 5,469 patients hospitalized for depression and focused on all cases of completed suicide and suicide attempts. Each case was matched with one to five controls for comparison. Severely depressed children and adolescents aged from six to 18 years were 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide or complete suicide if they were treated with antidepressants than if they were not. Children and adolescents who died from suicide - eight cases - were more likely to have been treated with an SSRI antidepressant than their matched controls - 37.5 per cent compared to 7.7 per cent. Among adults aged 19 to 64, there was no link between antidepressants and suicide or suicide attempts. The findings show the importance of monitoring treatment of young people with antidepressants. Safety concerns need to be balanced against the potential efficacy of antidepressants in treating depression, which is a strong risk factor for suicide and attempted suicide.

Source
Archives of General Psychiatry August 2006

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