title: Antidepressants and dementia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that antidepressants may have neuroprotective abilities but it has newer been investigated lately whether treatment with antidepressants reduces the risk of dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Linkage of registers of all prescribed antidepressants and diagnoses of dementia in Denmark during a period from 1995 to 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Persons who purchased antidepressants once (N=687,552) had an increased rate of dementia compared to persons unexposed to antidepressants (N=779,831). Nevertheless, the rate of dementia changed over time; thus during the initial prescription periods the rate increased with the number of prescriptions but continued long-term antidepressants treatment was associated with a reduction in the rate of dementia, however, not to the same level as the rate for the general population. This pattern was found for all classes of antidepressants (SSRIs, newer non-SSRI antidepressants and older antidepressants). All findings were replicated in sub-analyses with Alzheimer's disease as outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Methodological reasons for the findings cannot be excluded due to the non-randomized nature of data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continued long-term antidepressant treatment was associated with a reduced rate of dementia, however, not to the same level as the rate for the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. lars.kessing@rh.dk
authors.forename: Lars Vedel
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Kessing
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Søndergård
authors.forename: Julie Lyng
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: Per Kragh
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D012306:Risk; D013995:Time
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents