Suicide risk during anticonvulsant treatment.
Recent research findings suggest possible increases in risk of suicidal behaviors among patients treated with anticonvulsants. The available evidence appears to support such a risk more clearly for patients diagnosed with epilepsy rather than with primary psychiatric disorders. However, the studies involved are limited by providing associational findings that may be confounded by several uncontrolled variables. Such limitations should be considered in future research on adverse effects of anticonvulsants and other centrally acting drugs. For now, however, clinical prudence calls for routine, ongoing assessment of mood and suicidal thoughts among neurological or psychiatric patients, whether or not treated with particular drugs.
Pompili
Maurizio
M
Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Functions, Suicide Prevention Center Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it
Tatarelli
Roberto
R
Girardi
Paolo
P
Tondo
Leonardo
L
Baldessarini
Ross J
RJ
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017891:Pharmacoepidemiology; D012306:Risk; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends
D000927:Anticonvulsants