Antidepressant use and suicidal behaviour

Résumé

This article discusses the use of antidepressant drugs and the prevalence of suicide in adolescents. The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in adolescents with major depression has been associated with increased suicidal ideation and possibly increased suicidal attempts, although no increase in completed suicide. It is controversial whether SSRIs might cause increased suicidality by freeing severely depressed youth from the inertia of depression. The article cites a US-based study which assessed the effect of these warnings by analyzing automated health-care claims between 2000 and 2010 from 11 health plans in the US Mental Health Research Network. The main outcome measures of the study were rates of dispensing of antidepressants, rates of poisoning with psychotropic drugs, which the authors claim is a validated proxy for suicide attempts and completed suicides. There was an abrupt decrease in antidepressant use after the warnings, particularly in adolescents whose use decreased by 31% within 2 years. Simultaneously adolescent psychotropic drug poisonings increased by 21.7%. There was no change in rates of completed suicide and the authors believe reduced antidepressant use due to the FDA warnings resulted in increased suicide attempts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved) ÉTATS-UNIS ADOLESCENT IDÉATION TENTATIVE PHARMACOTHÉRAPIE MÉDICAMENT EFFET-NÉGATIF