'Antidepressants increase suicidal thoughts in under-25s'

On Facebook
Life & Style blogs

Online House Hunter: England’s most romantic places

Our Online House Hunter goes in search of romance this Valentine's Day...

Online House Hunter: Rugby – a Dickens of a town

Charles Dickens didn't think much of the railway town of Rugby in Warwickshire, calling it Mugby. Bu...

Online House Hunter: Mortgage relief

Banks would appear to be finally relinquishing their stranglehold on mortgages. Our Online House Hun...

Young adults under the age of 25 suffer an increased risk of suicide or suicidal thoughts when they take antidepressants and the risk is greatest after they take the drugs for anxiety and other mental problems not connected with depression, a study has found.

The same research concluded that antidepressants had a small but noticeable effect on protecting older people against suicide. However, the increased suicide risk to the under-25s was similar to that already seen in children and adolescents taking the drugs, scientists said.

Marc Stone, medical officer of the centre for drug evaluation and research at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Silver Spring, Maryland, said: "It doesn't mean that these drugs shouldn't be given to young adults but you have to think about the risks and the benefits. The findings tell you to watch people carefully. If someone on antidepressants talks of being suicidal, it may actually be due to the drugs."

When the scientists looked at the risks of suicide, attempted suicide or suicidal thoughts in the adult population as a whole they did not find any link between the use of antidepressants and an increased suicidal risk. But when they broke the data down into different age groups, a pattern emerged.

The study investigated previous clinical trials involving 12 antidepressants from eight different drug manufacturers, including older tricyclic antidepressants, as well as the newer selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, such as Prozac made by Eli Lilly, and Seroxat made by GlaxoSmithKline, which was prescribed to about 400,000 Britons last year.

In the cases of nearly 100,000 patients who were randomly given either an antidepressant or a harmless dummy pill and questioned about their suicidal thoughts or behaviour, there were eight suicides, 134 suicide attempts, 10 patients who had prepared for suicide without actually attempting it and 378 patients who had admitted to thoughts about suicide but had not acted on them. The study is published online in the British Medical Journal today although the findings were originally released by the FDA two years ago.

Professor John Geddes, an epidemiological psychiatrist at Oxford University, said it is important that patients taking antidepressants continued with their medication.

The Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency advises that patients taking SSRIs and related antidepressants, particularly young adults, should be carefully monitored during treatment for any worsening of symptoms or suicidal behaviour, a spokeswoman said.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus

Day In a Page

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets
Peter Moore: 'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'

Peter Moore interview

'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'
Sellafield faces nuclear option as overspending threatens plant's future

Sellafield faces nuclear option

Overspending threatens plant's future
Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Tehran rejects Netanyahu's 'lies' after diplomats in India and Georgia targeted
Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time

Tommy Cassidy interview

Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time
James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – Andre Villas-Boas looks all at sea

James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea

Abramovich's visits to training reinforce the idea of a coach feeling pressure from above and below
The 10 Best sledges

The 10 Best sledges

Not all of them require snow...
Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Confronting the real reasons for puttting things off can help us beat it
Fun in the sunset years

Fun in the sunset years

A new movie follows retirees moving to India for low-cost care and a culture of respect for the elderly. For many Britons, it's already a reality
Picture preview: Lucian Freud drawings

Lucian Freud drawings

Picture preview
Silent revolution at the Baftas as the French take top awards

Silent revolution at the Baftas

The Artist wins in seven categories, with Meryl Streep the other big success story
Whitney Houston: The diva who had – and lost – it all

The diva who had – and lost – it all

Nick Hasted charts the highs and lows of Whitney Houston's life
How Picasso won over (some of) the British

How Picasso won over (some of) the British

Winston Churchill and Evelyn Waugh hated his work, but Picasso provided inspiration for a whole generation of UK artists
Topshop: A Decade Of Design

Topshop: A Decade Of Design

When London Fashion Week starts on Friday, Topshop will celebrate 10 years backing its brightest young stars
John Prescott: 'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

At 73, John Prescott isn't mellowing. In fact he's taking a shot at becoming a police commissioner