Antidepressants and suicide in adolescents

Résumé

This article discusses the use of antidepressant drugs and the prevalence of suicide in adolescents. Randomized controlled trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in young persons suggested they were associated with increased suicidal thoughts and behavior, although there was no increase in completed suicides. The article cites a Swedish study which looked at suicides in youth aged 10–19 years before and after the warning. The authors not only obtained national data on sales of antidepressants, mainly SSRIs, but also obtained forensic data on whether individuals dying from suicide had filled a prescription for antidepressants in the previous 6 months and whether or not they had detectable levels of antidepressants in their bloodstream. Numbers of suicide increased for five consecutive years after the warning and the increase occurred in individuals not treated with antidepressants. This study provides circumstantial evidence to support the hypothesis that SSRIs are protective against rather than contributory to youth suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved) ÉTATS-UNIS ADOLESCENT IDÉATION TENTATIVE PHARMACOTHÉRAPIE MÉDICAMENT EFFET-NÉGATIF