David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Child Suicide and Antidepressants: A Comparison
Peter M. Yellowlees, MBBS, MD, in Medscape News
April 24, 2014
Recent data showing a possible increased risk for suicidal behavior among children and adolescents treated with antidepressants have created significant concern among patients, families, and providers.
Now a team of investigators[1] from Vanderbilt University in Nashville have undertaken a study to compare the risk for medically treated suicide attempts among new users of sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, and venlafaxine compared with the risk for new users of fluoxetine. Their retrospective cohort study included 36,842 children aged 6 to 18 years. A total of 419 medically treated suicide attempts were identified, including 4 who completed suicide.
They found that the adjusted rate of suicide attempts did not differ significantly among current users of any of the antidepressants compared with current users of fluoxetine. This is an important finding suggesting that there is nothing specific about individual antidepressants that makes one more potentially dangerous than the others. It reminds us that childhood depression itself is associated with suicidal behavior, and that all patients must be carefully assessed and treated.
References
Peter M. Yellowlees, MBBS, MD, in Medscape News
April 24, 2014
Recent data showing a possible increased risk for suicidal behavior among children and adolescents treated with antidepressants have created significant concern among patients, families, and providers.
Now a team of investigators[1] from Vanderbilt University in Nashville have undertaken a study to compare the risk for medically treated suicide attempts among new users of sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, and venlafaxine compared with the risk for new users of fluoxetine. Their retrospective cohort study included 36,842 children aged 6 to 18 years. A total of 419 medically treated suicide attempts were identified, including 4 who completed suicide.
They found that the adjusted rate of suicide attempts did not differ significantly among current users of any of the antidepressants compared with current users of fluoxetine. This is an important finding suggesting that there is nothing specific about individual antidepressants that makes one more potentially dangerous than the others. It reminds us that childhood depression itself is associated with suicidal behavior, and that all patients must be carefully assessed and treated.
References
- Cooper WO, Callahan ST, Shintani A, et al. Antidepressants and suicide attempts in children. Pediatrics. 2014;133:204-210.