Dr. Dean Fergusson, a scientist at the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) and an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, has found that anti-depressants contribute to an increase in the risk of suicide attempts.
The findings, published in the most recent edition of the British Medical Journal, inspire some concern and strongly encourage a closer monitoring of individuals who take these widely prescribed drugs.
Dr. Fergusson’s research included all SSRIs—a class of anti-depressant drugs that are used to treat an ever-expanding list of clinical conditions.
His study included 702 trials involving 87,650 patients with a wide range of clinical conditions looking at both fatal and non-fatal suicide attempts. Overall, Dr. Fergusson noted a more than twofold increase in the odds of suicide attempts for patients receiving SSRIs compared with placebo or therapeutic interventions other than tricyclic antidepressants—another class of drugs.
While other studies have suggested a possible link, Dr. Fergusson’s is now the most elaborate and comprehensive research identifying a very real correlation. The study also reported several major methodological limitations in previously published trials and called for stronger and better reporting mechanisms.
While strongly acknowledging the importance of the study, Deputy Head of Psychiatry at the Ottawa Hospital and psychiatry professor Dr. Robert Swenson noted, “If antidepressant medication is helpful for their condition, people should not stop it. If they have concerns about their medication or their condition is worsening, they should talk to their doctor or pharmacist right away.”
