Antidepressant suicide risk varies by age: FDA

People under age 25 who take antidepressants have a higher risk of suicide, but adults older than that do not, an analysis by U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers released on Tuesday showed.

The report by the FDA scientists confirms earlier studies and supports the agency's age-related warnings on the drugs' labeling.

U.S. and European regulators have been sounding alarms on the use of antidepressant drugs since 2003 after clinical trials showed they increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in those under age 18.

In February 2005, the FDA added a so-called black box warning -- the agency's strongest warning -- on the use of all antidepressants in young children and teens to draw attention to the possible risks of these medications. In May 2007, it extended the warnings to young adults aged 18 to 24.

Many psychiatrists have criticized the warnings, saying they scare people away from effective treatment for depression, the leading cause of suicide. In fact, recent studies have suggested the warnings triggered an 8 percent rise in suicide among youth and teens in 2004, the biggest one-year gain in 15 years.

READ MORE @ REUTERS

More Keys To Maintain Your Brain

Here I continue with a subject I can't resist and can certainly use - a series of tips on how to maintain and enhance brainpower. (See earlier column from Dec. 13.) In introducing them, the authors of the book where I found them, You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty, Dr. Michael F. Roizen, of the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, of Columbia University, have some wise words: "There are many ways to keep your brain operating at maximum efficiency, maximum power, and maximum quality."

o get you into the right mood and eliminate any room for excuses, I'll start with a few of the easiest ones.

Feed On Brain Food. Yes, there is such a thing. Serve up one of our best friends, those omega-3 fatty acids found in greatest abundance in the fat of such fish as salmon, mahi-mahi, tuna and herring. These omega-3s have multiple beneficial effects: (1) They improve the function of your message-sending neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells), (2) they slow cognitive decline in people who are at risk, and (3) keep arteries clear, which means they also keep an adequate supply of blood flowing to the brain.

Drs. Roizen and Oz, the authors, suggest you aim for 13 ounces of fish a week, or if you prefer take two grams of metabolically distilled fish oil a day or DHA (a form of omega-3) from algae or an ounce of walnuts every day.

READ MORE @ THE BULLETIN