Thursday, April 17, 2008

Antidepressants Account For Only 10% Of Fall In Suicide Rates Among Older People

The use of antidepressants is likely to account for only 10 per cent of the fall in suicide rates among middle aged and older people, suggests a large study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Globally, more than 800, 000 people commit suicide every year. Rates have been falling in many countries, a factor that has been associated with better recognition of depression and the increasing use of antidepressants, particularly the newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

But research involving more than 2 million Danes aged 50 and above and living in Denmark between 1996 and 2000, throws this into question.

The researchers assessed changes in the numbers of middle aged and older people committing suicide during this period and the types of antidepressant drugs they had been prescribed.

READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY