Study Concludes That SSRI Antidepressants Save Lives
The SSRI class of antidepressants has been under attack in the past few years, since some studies suggested that these drugs can increase the risk of suicide in young people. A July 2006 study has found that suicide rates in the U.S. have decreased as the rate of fluoxetine (Prozac) prescriptions has increased.
While I don't deny that proper recognition and treatment make all the difference in saving lives, I'm a bit skeptical about the design of this particular study. The fact that one event occurs at the same time as another does not in itself prove that one caused the other. Making a correlation between the number of fluoxetine prescriptions and the suicide rate also does not disprove the assertion that SSRIs may cause suicidal feelings in certain patients. No attempt was made to separate out the effect that other relatively new antidepressants may have had in reducing the suicide rate. For all we know, fluoxetine actually increased the rate of suicide in patients taking it, but the effect was masked by the positive effects of other antidepressants in reducing the overall suicide rate.
You can read more about this article from our Mental Health Resources Guide or read the full journal article at PLoS Medicine to make up your own mind.
Comments
I was on Prozac then Aropax 20mg to cope with my depression since September 2005 and they did help to eliminate suicidal thoughts. However since using NADH with Q10, I was able to wean off these antidepressants in May 2006 and improvised a Q10 Formula. It has also helped my good friend’s wife who had suffered from postnatal depression for 9 years with even suicidal attempts 3 years ago and she was confined to her bedroom for months until she started taking my formula in late May 2006. Within a few days she felt a lot better and cut her medication to 40mg from 60 mg Aropax. Yes she was up and about and in June she even went to Australia alone to visit relatives. By end of June, she has cut down her Aropax by another 20mg and hope to wean off completely. What a relief to her husband who told me she was so close to being hospitalised.
Cheers
Bob Ong
New Zealand
I agree with the original author. SSRIs cannot be the only contribution to the decreased suicide rate. SSRIs like zoloft and prozac aren’t the only drugs available. Furthermore, other treatments exist besides medication. These treatments often times bring the patient permanent relief to the symptoms. A medication might need to be retaken a couple of years after the patient has found temporary relief. That’s because medication only works for as long as the patient takes it.