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Antidepressants in suicide prevention
July 09, 2008Depression is the most important single factor predisposing to suicide, and more than half of all subjects completing suicide are known to have suffered from depression. Unfortunately, depression is still often untreated or undertreated, even after a suicide attempt. Antidepressive drugs represent the cornerstone of treatment of depressive patients. However, their role has become somewhat controversial over the last few years due to reports suggesting that antidepressants might, in a small subgroup of younger patients (recently estimated at 0.7% in clinical trials) actually worsen suicidal tendencies instead of alleviating them.
As a consequence, regulatory authorities in many countries have reconsidered their cost-benefit ratio. On the other hand, in many western countries, increasing use of antidepressants on the national and regional level correlates, as expected with declining suicide mortality, and in no country has an increase in suicides due to antidepressants been reported.
While there is no doubt that potential side effects of antidepressive medication concerning suicidal behaviour are a very serious issue, it is important to obtain a balanced view of all the clinical and epidemiological facts pertaining to the effect of antidepressive therapy in relation to suicidal behaviour.
Professor Erkki Isometsä, a renowned expert in psychiatric suicide research, will present the state of evidence and critically comment on the current discussion concerning this topic with regard to the role of antidepressive treatment in real-life clinical practice.
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Professor Erkki Isometsä, a renowned expert in psychiatric suicide research, will present the state of evidence and critically comment on the current discussion concerning this topic with regard to the role of antidepressive treatment in real-life clinical practice.
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Antidepressant Current Events and Antidepressant News RSSInsomnia in women with breast cancer linked to heart rate dysregulation
A study in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a significant predictor of insomnia in women with breast cancer and confirmed that longer nocturnal wake episodes were associated with a flatter diurnal cortisol slope.
Millisecond brain signals predict response to fast-acting antidepressant
Images of the brain's fastest signals reveal an electromagnetic marker that predicts a patient's response to a fast-acting antidepressant, researchers have discovered.
Mental health intervention urged for heart patients
Heart patients are particularly vulnerable to depression and should be screened, and if necessary treated, to improve their recovery and overall health, according to a scientific advisory issued Monday by the American Heart Association and co-authored by a Yale School of Public Health researcher.
Sex differences seen in response to common antidepressant
Women with depression may be much more likely than men to get relief from a commonly used, inexpensive antidepressant drug, a new national study finds. But many members of both sexes may find that it helps ease their depression symptoms.
Antidepressants in suicide prevention
Antidepressants are the cornerstone of treatment of depressive disorders in health care. Their efficacy in treating depression is undisputable, although it leaves room for improvement.
Potential new targets for antidepressant medications
The news about antidepressant medications over the past several years has been mixed. The bad news from large multicenter studies such as STAR*D is that current antidepressant medications are effective, but not as effective as one might hope. Thus, there is a significant need for new treatment mechanisms for depression.
Antidepressants may impair driving ability, new research finds
People taking prescription antidepressants appear to drive worse than people who aren't taking such drugs, and depressed people on antidepressants have even more trouble concentrating and reacting behind the wheel.
Study finds connections between genetics, brain activity and preference
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has used brain imaging, genetics and experimental psychology techniques to identify a connection between brain reward circuitry, a behavioral measurement of preference and a gene variant that appears to influence both.
Voluntary exercise does not appear to alleviate anxiety and depression
Voluntary physical activity does not appear to cause a reduction in anxiety and depression, but exercise and mood may be associated through a common genetic factor, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
N.Y. Research Team Discovers How Antidepressants and Cocaine Interact with Brain Cell Targets
In a first, scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center have described the specifics of how brain cells process antidepressant drugs, cocaine and amphetamines. These novel findings could prove useful in the development of more targeted medication therapies for a host of psychiatric diseases, most notably in the area of addiction.
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