The SSRI class of antidepressants has been under attack in the past few years, since some studies suggested that these drugs can increase the risk of suicide in young people. A July 2006 study has found that suicide rates in the U.S. have decreased as the rate of fluoxetine (Prozac) prescriptions has increased.
Fluoxetine was approved in the U.S. in 1988. Between 1988 and 2000 the number of Prozac prescriptions rose. From the early 1960s until 1988 between 12.2 and 13.7 people out of every 100,000 U.S. residents committed suicide each year. After that time the numbers of suicides gradually declined, with the lowest figure (10.4 per 100,000) occurring in 2000. The authors of this study conclude that the increased use of fluoxetine and other SSRIs is the major reason that the suicide rate declined. Because this is a correlational study it is also possible that other factors are work.
This study was published in Public Library of Science – Medicine journal – a scientific journal that is freely available to all over the Internet. Journals like this are a new experiment in publishing scientific papers more quickly than traditionals and making the research more accessible professionals and to the general public. You can read the full article here.
This is an important contribution to the mental health literature which reaffirms the value of SSRI antidepressant medications, especially in adults. Nobody who is depressed should suffer in silence while there are effective treatments for depression available.
