Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Suicide Rates Have Decreased With Increased Use of SSRIs, New-Generation Non-SSRIs  Medscape Medical News story - "Suicide rates have dropped in association with increased use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and new-generation non-SSRIs, according to the results of an analysis of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national vital statistics study published in the February issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. However, the investigators acknowledge that this type of data cannot demonstrate causal relationships." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Study Questions Suicide-Antidepressant Link Story at Ivanhoe - "Curtailing the use of newer antidepressants because of recent reports that they may increase the risk of suicide in adolescents may be likened to throwing the baby out with the bathwater, according to researchers from UCLA. The report suggests these drugs, known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, are true life-savers and are responsible for a significant reduction in the overall rate of suicide since they were introduced in the 1980s."