Suicide risk not increased with SSRI antidepressants.
Depressed adult patients are no more likely to commit suicide while taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) than any other class of antidepressants. The low suicide rate in the non-SSRI category, which included tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), reminds us that no evidence exists to consider tricyclics more dangerous than other antidepressants, despite what is commonly believed. Thus, clinicians who avoid prescribing any antidepressant because of risk of suicide may change their clinical practice. It is important to remember that these patients are adults and had mild to moderate depression without any significant comorbid conditions.
Ham
Peter
P
Department of Virginia Family Medicine, Charlottesville, USA. ph2t@virginia.edu