title: Do Atypical Antipsychotics Have Antisuicidal Effects? A Hypothesis-Generating Overview.
abstract: Modern antipsychotic drugs are employed increasingly in the treatment of mood disorders as well as psychoses, stimulating interest in their possible contributions to altering suicidal risk. Clozapine remains the only treatment with an FDA-recognized indication for reducing suicidal risk (in schizophrenia). We carried out a systematic, computerized search for reports of studies involving antipsychotic drug treatment and suicidal behaviors. A total of 19 reports provide data with preliminary support for potential suicide risk-reducing effects of olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, and asenapine in addition to clozapine, and provide some support for antipsychotic drug treatment in general. These preliminary findings encourage further testing of antipsychotics for effects on suicidal behavior, making use of explicit, pre-planned assessments of suicidal behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00189, Italy. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it.|International Consortium for Mood and Psychotic Disorders Research, Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02468, USA. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pompili
authors.affiliation: International Consortium for Mood and Psychotic Disorders Research, Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02468, USA. rbaldessarini@mclean.harvard.edu.|Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. rbaldessarini@mclean.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Ross J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Baldessarini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00189, Italy. alberto.forte@yahoo.it.|International Consortium for Mood and Psychotic Disorders Research, Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02468, USA. alberto.forte@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00189, Italy. denise.erbuto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Erbuto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa 16126, Italy. gianluca.serafini@unige.it.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples I-80138, Italy. anfioril@tin.it.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiorillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa 16126, Italy. mario.amore@unige.it.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amore
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00189, Italy. paolo.girardi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003024:Clozapine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003024:Clozapine
keywords: antipsychotic; aripiprazole; asenapine; atypical; clozapine; olanzapine; quetiapine; risperidone; second-generation; suicide; ziprasidone