title: Are serotonergic reuptake inhibitors more potent in reducing suicidality? An empirical study on paroxetine.
abstract: There is some empirical evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors reduce suicidal ideas faster than other antidepressants. These findings are well in line with the theory of a serotonergic hypofunction in suicidal patients. To test this hypothesis the data of a 6-week double-blind control-group study comparing paroxetine versus amitriptyline were analyzed with respect to suicidality. The global antidepressive efficacy was comparable under dosages of 30 mg paroxetine or 150 mg amitriptyline per day. A differentiated analysis failed to confirm the hypothesis of a faster reduction of suicidal cognitions by paroxetine.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Department, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Steinmeyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors