Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.
The results provide additional evidence that antidepressants may play a key role in helping improve the mental health of suicidal youth, said Cynthia Fontanella, co-author of the study and assistant professor of social work at Ohio State University.
The findings are especially important now, because antidepressant use dropped in 2003 after the Food and Drug Administration issued a black box warning that some antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal behavior for pediatric patients. A black-box warning is the most serious type of warning in prescription drug labeling.
"We found that antidepressant treatment had a protective effect on readmission," Fontanella said. "Although the findings are preliminary, our results should be reassuring to child psychiatrists who may have been concerned about prescribing antidepressants since the FDA warning."
But another key finding from the study showed that hospitalized youth who were prescribed three or more medications from different drug classes for mental health issues had a 3-fold increased risk of being readmitted within a month of discharge.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE BLOG
Showing posts with label suicide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suicide. Show all posts
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Depression Test By screening all teens, doctors hop to identify those with mental disorders
Soon after her sister committed suicide, Caroline Downing started doing poorly at school. During math tests she would freeze up, and she found her mind wandering constantly. Officials at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac gently suggested that the high school sophomore get a mental health screening.
The idea of a psychiatric evaluation sent chills down the spine of Caroline's mother, Mathy Milling Downing, who believed that her younger daughter, Candace, had committed suicide because of an adverse reaction linked to a psychiatric drug -- the antidepressant Zoloft. Shortly after Candace's death, the Food and Drug Administration placed black-box warnings on several antidepressants to say they elevated suicidal thinking among some children. If Caroline were going to get the same kind of mental health care as Candace, Downing wanted no part of it.
Downing's family offers a powerful case study into the pros and cons of new guidelines recommending widespread screening of adolescents for mental disorders: Last month, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federal group that makes public health recommendations, said that all adolescents between ages 12 and 18 should be screened for major depression. In March, the Institute of Medicine, which advises Congress on scientific matters, told policymakers that early screening was key to reducing the financial and medical burden of mental disorders in the United States.
READ MIRE @ WASHINGTON POST
The idea of a psychiatric evaluation sent chills down the spine of Caroline's mother, Mathy Milling Downing, who believed that her younger daughter, Candace, had committed suicide because of an adverse reaction linked to a psychiatric drug -- the antidepressant Zoloft. Shortly after Candace's death, the Food and Drug Administration placed black-box warnings on several antidepressants to say they elevated suicidal thinking among some children. If Caroline were going to get the same kind of mental health care as Candace, Downing wanted no part of it.
Downing's family offers a powerful case study into the pros and cons of new guidelines recommending widespread screening of adolescents for mental disorders: Last month, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federal group that makes public health recommendations, said that all adolescents between ages 12 and 18 should be screened for major depression. In March, the Institute of Medicine, which advises Congress on scientific matters, told policymakers that early screening was key to reducing the financial and medical burden of mental disorders in the United States.
READ MIRE @ WASHINGTON POST
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Youth Suicides Continue to Rise in U.S. - One reason may be reluctance to prescribe antidepressants, study suggests
Suicides among U.S. children appear to be on the rise after a 15-year decline, and the trend may owe, in part, to fewer teens being prescribed antidepressants, a new study suggests.
Researchers thought a spike in youth suicides in 2004 may have been an anomaly. But the new study found the increase in suicides continued during 2005.
Looking at suicide trends among youngsters over a 15-year period, Jeff Bridge, from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found the rates of suicide among youths aged 10 to 19 were higher in 2004 and 2005 than would have been expected, based on suicide rate trends from 1996 to 2003.
"This is significant, because pediatric suicide rates in the U.S. had been declining steadily for a decade until 2004, when the suicide rate among U.S. youth younger than 20 years of age increased by 18 percent, the largest single-year increase in the past 15 years," said Bridge, an investigator in the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice.
READ MORE @ U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Researchers thought a spike in youth suicides in 2004 may have been an anomaly. But the new study found the increase in suicides continued during 2005.
Looking at suicide trends among youngsters over a 15-year period, Jeff Bridge, from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found the rates of suicide among youths aged 10 to 19 were higher in 2004 and 2005 than would have been expected, based on suicide rate trends from 1996 to 2003.
"This is significant, because pediatric suicide rates in the U.S. had been declining steadily for a decade until 2004, when the suicide rate among U.S. youth younger than 20 years of age increased by 18 percent, the largest single-year increase in the past 15 years," said Bridge, an investigator in the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice.
READ MORE @ U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Monday, September 1, 2008
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. However, recent reports also suggest that antidepressants might, in some rare cases, actually worsen suicidal tendencies instead of alleviating them. As a consequence, research has intensified to clarify this issue, and regulatory authorities in many countries have reconsidered their cost-benefit ratio. While there is no doubt that such potential side-effects of antidepressant therapy are a very serious issue, it is important to obtain a balanced view of all the clinical and epidemiological facts pertaining the effect of antidepressant therapy in relation to suicidal behaviour.
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
Friday, July 11, 2008
Risks of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior with Epilepsy Drugs Reaffirmed
All epilepsy drugs should carry a warning -- not necessarily boxed -- about increased risks for suicidal ideation and behavior, a joint meeting of two FDA committees concluded here.
In January, the FDA released results of an analysis that found almost double the risk of suicidality with the use of 11 drugs used to treat epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. (See: FDA Finds Suicidal Behavior in Studies of 11 Epilepsy Drugs)
Today, a joint meeting of the FDA's Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee and the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agency's conclusions that the finding of increased risk should apply not only to all of the drugs in the analysis, but to all anticonvulsants currently on the market.
The committees also voted to describe the risks in a medication guide that would be handed out to patients who were prescribed the drugs.
However, the idea of including a black box warning on the drugs was rejected. Committee members feared that such a warning would discourage physicians from appropriately prescribing the drugs to those who need them.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
In January, the FDA released results of an analysis that found almost double the risk of suicidality with the use of 11 drugs used to treat epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. (See: FDA Finds Suicidal Behavior in Studies of 11 Epilepsy Drugs)
Today, a joint meeting of the FDA's Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee and the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agency's conclusions that the finding of increased risk should apply not only to all of the drugs in the analysis, but to all anticonvulsants currently on the market.
The committees also voted to describe the risks in a medication guide that would be handed out to patients who were prescribed the drugs.
However, the idea of including a black box warning on the drugs was rejected. Committee members feared that such a warning would discourage physicians from appropriately prescribing the drugs to those who need them.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
Saturday, June 14, 2008
GlaxoSmithKline faces US scrutiny over Paxil suicide link
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the UK's largest drug maker, is facing new scrutiny in America in the wake of a British government inquiry that found the company withheld data on the suicide risk of an antidepressant.
A US senator today asked the food and drug administration (FDA), the agency that regulates American pharmaceuticals, to follow its UK counterpart in probing whether GSK concealed clinical trial evidence.
"If the company engaged in this behaviour in the UK, then I want to make sure that the same didn't happen here in the US," Grassley said.
"The FDA should investigate this question thoroughly and be forthcoming about its findings."
The drug in question - Paxil, marketed in the UK as Seroxat - has been the subject of suicide warnings since 2003, when the British government told doctors not to prescribe it to young adults. A warning to that effect was added to its US labels in 2006.
In responding to the UK conclusion that GSK failed to inform authorities of Paxil's suicide risk, Grassley quoted the Guardian's report on imminent British legislation requiring drug companies to promptly publicise clinical trial data.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
A US senator today asked the food and drug administration (FDA), the agency that regulates American pharmaceuticals, to follow its UK counterpart in probing whether GSK concealed clinical trial evidence.
"If the company engaged in this behaviour in the UK, then I want to make sure that the same didn't happen here in the US," Grassley said.
"The FDA should investigate this question thoroughly and be forthcoming about its findings."
The drug in question - Paxil, marketed in the UK as Seroxat - has been the subject of suicide warnings since 2003, when the British government told doctors not to prescribe it to young adults. A warning to that effect was added to its US labels in 2006.
In responding to the UK conclusion that GSK failed to inform authorities of Paxil's suicide risk, Grassley quoted the Guardian's report on imminent British legislation requiring drug companies to promptly publicise clinical trial data.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
Friday, May 23, 2008
ECT: DoctorsECT: Doctors don't know how it works, so why use it? don't know how it works, so why use it?
Using electroconvulsive therapy for depression remains controversial. Dr Max Pemberton examines the evidence
Depression kills. Suicide in the UK constitutes nearly one per cent of deaths from all causes every year.
It is the single biggest killer of young men after road traffic accidents, and the 2001 Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths found that suicide was the leading cause of maternal mortality in the UK.
Depression also destroys lives insidiously, dismantling them piece by piece until little remains. With around a quarter of us experiencing depression in our lifetimes, and between five and 10 per cent suffering from it at any one time, it represents a significant public health issue.
But depression is treatable. The development of talking and pharmaceutical therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants has meant that the lives of millions of people have been transformed.
READ MORE @ TELEGRAPH
Depression kills. Suicide in the UK constitutes nearly one per cent of deaths from all causes every year.
It is the single biggest killer of young men after road traffic accidents, and the 2001 Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths found that suicide was the leading cause of maternal mortality in the UK.
Depression also destroys lives insidiously, dismantling them piece by piece until little remains. With around a quarter of us experiencing depression in our lifetimes, and between five and 10 per cent suffering from it at any one time, it represents a significant public health issue.
But depression is treatable. The development of talking and pharmaceutical therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants has meant that the lives of millions of people have been transformed.
READ MORE @ TELEGRAPH
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
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
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Can Atypical Antipsychotics Reduce Suicide Risk in Patients With Schizophrenia?: An Evidence-Based Analysis
Suicide is a devastating, tragically frequent outcome for persons with varying psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia. An estimated 5% to 10% of persons with schizophrenia commit suicide and 20% to 50% attempt suicide during their lifetime.1,2 Patients with schizophrenia have more than an 8-fold increased risk of completing suicide (based on the standardized mortality ratio) than the general population.3 Antipsychotic treatment is the cornerstone of the therapeutic approach to schizophrenia and has been thought to influence suicidal tendencies.4 Yet, both typical and atypical antipsychotics (the latter of which have been considered to have a better profile for reducing the risk of suicide than the former) have not been shown to have a net positive effect on suicidality.5,6
Atypical antipsychotics are now considered to be a first-line treatment for schizophrenia. It is therefore crucial that we have an evidence-based approach to minimizing suicidal thinking and behavior. We have recently reviewed the relationship between antipsychotic drugs and suicide in patients with schizophrenia, observing that many inconsistencies exist among the studies. This, in turn, prevents any definitive conclusions; the sole exception is clozapine, which should be considered when suicide risk is detected.7
This article reviews the evidence for the various atypical antipsychotics in potentially reducing the risk of suicide in patients with schizophrenia. A high degree of efficacy should not be expected, since 2 large reviews on premarketing data have failed to demonstrate the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics (excluding clozapine) in reducing the risk of suicidality in patients with schizophrenia.8,9 Further limitations come from methodological issues, which may be seen in some studies that originate within the pharmaceutical industry.10
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC TIMES
Atypical antipsychotics are now considered to be a first-line treatment for schizophrenia. It is therefore crucial that we have an evidence-based approach to minimizing suicidal thinking and behavior. We have recently reviewed the relationship between antipsychotic drugs and suicide in patients with schizophrenia, observing that many inconsistencies exist among the studies. This, in turn, prevents any definitive conclusions; the sole exception is clozapine, which should be considered when suicide risk is detected.7
This article reviews the evidence for the various atypical antipsychotics in potentially reducing the risk of suicide in patients with schizophrenia. A high degree of efficacy should not be expected, since 2 large reviews on premarketing data have failed to demonstrate the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics (excluding clozapine) in reducing the risk of suicidality in patients with schizophrenia.8,9 Further limitations come from methodological issues, which may be seen in some studies that originate within the pharmaceutical industry.10
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC TIMES
Friday, April 11, 2008
FDA looks at link between medications, depression
Federal regulators warn that an array of drugs could play a role in spurring thoughts of suicide or other psychiatric symptoms.
As symptoms of depression go, there is none much clearer than having thoughts of suicide.
But a spate of recent announcements from federal health officials suggests a surprising new interpretation of suicidal fantasies and the depression they are thought to signal: Sometimes, sadness, anxiety and self-destructive thoughts are not symptoms but side effects -- of medicine.
In this year alone, federal regulators have warned that a surprising array of drugs could play a role in spurring thoughts of self-destruction. Medicines that treat epilepsy, asthma and influenza are now under suspicion, as is one that helps smokers kick the tobacco habit.
The FDA stresses that it has established no direct causal link between these medications and suicidal thoughts in patients taking them. But in all the cases, regulators acknowledge they had one of two indicators of potential trouble.
In some cases, a review of a drug's early clinical trials turned up increased rates of suicidal thinking among subjects taking the medicine. In others, the tip-off came when the FDA observed an uptick of reports that patients taking a medication for some other condition developed symptoms of depression.
READ MORE @ LOS ANGELES TIMES
As symptoms of depression go, there is none much clearer than having thoughts of suicide.
But a spate of recent announcements from federal health officials suggests a surprising new interpretation of suicidal fantasies and the depression they are thought to signal: Sometimes, sadness, anxiety and self-destructive thoughts are not symptoms but side effects -- of medicine.
In this year alone, federal regulators have warned that a surprising array of drugs could play a role in spurring thoughts of self-destruction. Medicines that treat epilepsy, asthma and influenza are now under suspicion, as is one that helps smokers kick the tobacco habit.
The FDA stresses that it has established no direct causal link between these medications and suicidal thoughts in patients taking them. But in all the cases, regulators acknowledge they had one of two indicators of potential trouble.
In some cases, a review of a drug's early clinical trials turned up increased rates of suicidal thinking among subjects taking the medicine. In others, the tip-off came when the FDA observed an uptick of reports that patients taking a medication for some other condition developed symptoms of depression.
READ MORE @ LOS ANGELES TIMES
Monday, March 24, 2008
Know Suicide's Warning Signs - More people likely to take their lives in the spring, doctors say
While many people view spring as a time of renewal and hope, the greatest number of suicides in the United States occur each year in April and May, notes the American College of Emergency Physicians.
It's not clear why suicide rates spike in the spring, said ACEP President Dr. Linda L. Lawrence. But "we do know that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, with one suicide occurring every 16 minutes or about 11 suicides per 100,000 people," she said in a prepared statement.
"Moreover, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 25- to 34-year-olds and the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. Men take their own lives nearly four times more often than women, with men ages 75 and older having the highest rate of suicide, although over a lifetime, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men," Lawrence said.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
It's not clear why suicide rates spike in the spring, said ACEP President Dr. Linda L. Lawrence. But "we do know that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, with one suicide occurring every 16 minutes or about 11 suicides per 100,000 people," she said in a prepared statement.
"Moreover, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 25- to 34-year-olds and the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. Men take their own lives nearly four times more often than women, with men ages 75 and older having the highest rate of suicide, although over a lifetime, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men," Lawrence said.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Sunday, March 9, 2008
FDA Warning of Suicidal Risk Associated with Antidepressants in Juveniles and Young Adults Reviewed at Recent ISCTM Meeting
The International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM) held its 2008 annual meeting in Washington, DC, February 25-27. This organization involves collaborative efforts among academic and research clinicians, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, and governmental drug-regulatory bodies to improve methods for testing efficacy and safety of drugs used to treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. A half-day symposium explored FDA-required "black-box" drug safety warnings of evidence of increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions during treatment with antidepressants in juvenile and young-adult patients as a case study. The symposium was chaired by FDA-advisor Andrew Leon, Ph.D. (Cornell Medical Center), and Ross J. Baldessarini, M.D. (Harvard Medical School). Other speakers were Neil Chayet, J.D. (Harvard Medical School), Thomas Laughren, M.D. (US FDA), James McNulty (Past-President, National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI]), and Sharon-Lise Normand, Ph.D. (Harvard School of Public Health).
Dr. Baldessarini noted: "Studies aimed at reducing risk of suicide remain far less well developed than many other treatments for psychiatric patients, despite the importance of the problem. Evidence of whether antidepressants increase or reduce risk of suicidal behaviors remains surprisingly inconsistent and inconclusive."
Symposium speakers reviewed evidence supporting the expanded safety warning for all drug products that are FDA-approved for the treatment of major depression, that involve 180-million prescriptions a year in the US. The FDA also is conducting a systematic review of suicidal risks associated with anti-epilepsy drugs and considering use of more systematic assessments of suicidal thinking and behaviors to replace current incidental patient and clinician reporting of adverse events during trials.
READ MORE @ EARTH TIMES
Dr. Baldessarini noted: "Studies aimed at reducing risk of suicide remain far less well developed than many other treatments for psychiatric patients, despite the importance of the problem. Evidence of whether antidepressants increase or reduce risk of suicidal behaviors remains surprisingly inconsistent and inconclusive."
Symposium speakers reviewed evidence supporting the expanded safety warning for all drug products that are FDA-approved for the treatment of major depression, that involve 180-million prescriptions a year in the US. The FDA also is conducting a systematic review of suicidal risks associated with anti-epilepsy drugs and considering use of more systematic assessments of suicidal thinking and behaviors to replace current incidental patient and clinician reporting of adverse events during trials.
READ MORE @ EARTH TIMES
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Midlife Suicide Rises, Puzzling Researchers
Shannon Neal can instantly tell you the best night of her life: Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, the Hinsdale Academy debutante ball. Her father, Steven Neal, a 54-year-old political columnist for The Chicago Sun-Times, was in his tux, white gloves and tie. “My dad walked me down and took a little bow,” she said, and then the two of them goofed it up on the dance floor as they laughed and laughed.
A few weeks later, Mr. Neal parked his car in his garage, turned on the motor and waited until carbon monoxide filled the enclosed space and took his breath, and his life, away.
Later, his wife, Susan, would recall that he had just finished a new book, his seventh, and that “it took a lot out of him.” His medication was also taking a toll, putting him in the hospital overnight with worries about his heart.
Still, those who knew him were blindsided. “If I had just 30 seconds with him now,” Ms. Neal said of her father, “I would want all these answers.”
Mr. Neal is part of an unusually large increase in suicides among middle-aged Americans in recent years. Just why thousands of men and women have crossed the line between enduring life’s burdens and surrendering to them is a painful question for their loved ones. But for officials, it is a surprising and baffling public health mystery.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
A few weeks later, Mr. Neal parked his car in his garage, turned on the motor and waited until carbon monoxide filled the enclosed space and took his breath, and his life, away.
Later, his wife, Susan, would recall that he had just finished a new book, his seventh, and that “it took a lot out of him.” His medication was also taking a toll, putting him in the hospital overnight with worries about his heart.
Still, those who knew him were blindsided. “If I had just 30 seconds with him now,” Ms. Neal said of her father, “I would want all these answers.”
Mr. Neal is part of an unusually large increase in suicides among middle-aged Americans in recent years. Just why thousands of men and women have crossed the line between enduring life’s burdens and surrendering to them is a painful question for their loved ones. But for officials, it is a surprising and baffling public health mystery.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Suicide by Guard, Reserve Troops Studied
National Guard and Reserve troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan make up more than half of veterans who committed suicide after returning home from those wars, according to new government data obtained by The Associated Press.
A Department of Veterans Affairs analysis of ongoing research of deaths among veterans of both wars — obtained exclusively by The AP — found that Guard or Reserve members were 53 percent of the veteran suicides from 2001, when the war in Afghanistan began, through the end of 2005.
The research, conducted by the agency's Office of Environmental Epidemiology, provides the first demographic look at suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who left the military — a situation that veterans and mental health advocates worry might worsen as the wars drag on.
Upon learning of the VA's findings on Tuesday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars called for the Pentagon and the VA to combine their efforts to track suicides among those who have served in those countries in order to get a clearer picture of the problem.
"We're very concerned for the overall well-being of our military men and women as well as our veterans and want to know, is there a growing problem that needs to be addressed by both the (Defense Department) and the VA?" said Joe Davis, the VFW's public affairs director. "To fix a problem, you have to define it first."
Military leaders have leaned heavily on Guard and Reserve troops in the wars. At certain times in 2005, members of the Guard and Reserve made up nearly half the troops fighting in Iraq.
Overall, they were nearly 28 percent of all U.S. military forces deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan or in support of the operations, according to Defense Department data through the end of 2007.
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Department of Veterans Affairs analysis of ongoing research of deaths among veterans of both wars — obtained exclusively by The AP — found that Guard or Reserve members were 53 percent of the veteran suicides from 2001, when the war in Afghanistan began, through the end of 2005.
The research, conducted by the agency's Office of Environmental Epidemiology, provides the first demographic look at suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who left the military — a situation that veterans and mental health advocates worry might worsen as the wars drag on.
Upon learning of the VA's findings on Tuesday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars called for the Pentagon and the VA to combine their efforts to track suicides among those who have served in those countries in order to get a clearer picture of the problem.
"We're very concerned for the overall well-being of our military men and women as well as our veterans and want to know, is there a growing problem that needs to be addressed by both the (Defense Department) and the VA?" said Joe Davis, the VFW's public affairs director. "To fix a problem, you have to define it first."
Military leaders have leaned heavily on Guard and Reserve troops in the wars. At certain times in 2005, members of the Guard and Reserve made up nearly half the troops fighting in Iraq.
Overall, they were nearly 28 percent of all U.S. military forces deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan or in support of the operations, according to Defense Department data through the end of 2007.
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Making Sense of the Great Suicide Debate
AN expression of true love or raw hatred, of purest faith or mortal sin, of courageous loyalty or selfish cowardice: The act of suicide has meant many things to many people through history, from the fifth-century Christian martyrs to the Samurais’ hara-kiri to more recent literary divas, Hemingway, Plath, Sexton.
But now the shadow of suicide has slipped into the corridors of modern medicine as a potential drug side effect, where it is creating a scientific debate as divisive and confounding as any religious clash.
And the shadow is likely to deepen.
After a years-long debate about whether antidepressant drugs like Prozac and Paxil increase the risk of suicide in some people, the Food and Drug Administration in recent days reported that other drugs, including medications used to treat epilepsy, also appear to increase the remote risk of suicide. The agency has been evaluating suicide risk in a variety of medicines, and more such reports — and more headlines — are expected.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
But now the shadow of suicide has slipped into the corridors of modern medicine as a potential drug side effect, where it is creating a scientific debate as divisive and confounding as any religious clash.
And the shadow is likely to deepen.
After a years-long debate about whether antidepressant drugs like Prozac and Paxil increase the risk of suicide in some people, the Food and Drug Administration in recent days reported that other drugs, including medications used to treat epilepsy, also appear to increase the remote risk of suicide. The agency has been evaluating suicide risk in a variety of medicines, and more such reports — and more headlines — are expected.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Antidepressants Can Increase Depression, Impulsivity and Suicide Risk by Decreasing Dopamine
Antidepressant medications which increase serotonin neurotransmitter levels can depress dopamine levels. Decreasing dopamine level can increase depression, impulsivity and suicide risk in depressed patients, who were previously dopamine deficient. "When physicians prescribe serotonin enhancement medications to dopamine deficient patients, patients sometimes become more depressed, impulsive and suicidal," said Dr. Rick Sponaugle, Medical Director of Florida Detox.
Many depressed patients do not improve with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft. Prozac and Paxil only increase serotonin and norepinephrine activity. When serotonin is increased above normal levels with medication, the brain downregulates dopamine production. Dopamine downregulation explains why some patients become suicidal on "antidepressants."
Physicians must differentiate which "happy chemicals" require adjustment. There are five main "happy chemical" neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and acetylcholine. Deficiency in any of these, can produce clinical depression.
Recent PET brain scan studies clearly reveal dopamine activates the human "pleasure center" (nucleus accumbens). The dopamine D2 receptor within the pleasure center appears to be our happy receptor. PET studies can accurately measure the difference in D2 activity among different patients.
READ MORE @ PR NEWSWIRE
Many depressed patients do not improve with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft. Prozac and Paxil only increase serotonin and norepinephrine activity. When serotonin is increased above normal levels with medication, the brain downregulates dopamine production. Dopamine downregulation explains why some patients become suicidal on "antidepressants."
Physicians must differentiate which "happy chemicals" require adjustment. There are five main "happy chemical" neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and acetylcholine. Deficiency in any of these, can produce clinical depression.
Recent PET brain scan studies clearly reveal dopamine activates the human "pleasure center" (nucleus accumbens). The dopamine D2 receptor within the pleasure center appears to be our happy receptor. PET studies can accurately measure the difference in D2 activity among different patients.
READ MORE @ PR NEWSWIRE
Thursday, January 24, 2008
F.D.A. Requiring Suicide Studies in Drug Trials
After decades of inattention to the possible psychiatric side effects of experimental medicines, the Food and Drug Administration is now requiring drug makers to study closely whether patients become suicidal during clinical trials.
The new rules represent one of the most profound changes of the past 16 years to regulations governing drug development. But since the F.D.A.’s oversight of experimental medicines is done in secret, the agency’s shift has not been announced publicly.
The drug industry, however, is keenly aware of the change. Makers of drugs to treat obesity, urinary incontinence, epilepsy, smoking cessation, depression and many other conditions are being asked for the first time by the drug agency to put a comprehensive suicide assessment into their clinical trials.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
The new rules represent one of the most profound changes of the past 16 years to regulations governing drug development. But since the F.D.A.’s oversight of experimental medicines is done in secret, the agency’s shift has not been announced publicly.
The drug industry, however, is keenly aware of the change. Makers of drugs to treat obesity, urinary incontinence, epilepsy, smoking cessation, depression and many other conditions are being asked for the first time by the drug agency to put a comprehensive suicide assessment into their clinical trials.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Antidepressants behind 52 percent of all suicides among women
Incredible data have just been revealed that antidepressant drugs were behind 52 percent of all suicides among women (18-84) in Sweden (2006)
This is not data from a limited study; it instead concerns information on a national level for ALL suicides (18-84 years) for 2006. The information is unique; registries now exist in Sweden making it possible for the National Board of Health and Welfare to see how many of the suicides were preceded by psychiatric drug treatment.
Among a total number of 377 women who committed suicide, 197 (52%) had filled a prescription for antidepressants within 180 days before their death. And 29 women (8%) had filled a prescription for neuroleptics ("antipsychotics") ONLY within 180 days before the suicide.
This means that 229 women - 60% - of those who committed suicide (18-84) in Sweden (2006) had filled a prescription for antidepressant drugs OR neuroleptics within 180 days before their suicide.
Neuroleptics were involved in total in 97 (26%) of the suicides among women, (68 women, 18%, got BOTH antidepressants and neuroleptics). NOT included in these figures is the percentage of women who got other forms of psychiatric drugs, like benzodiazepines.
The data are revealed just after the news broke that pharmaceutical companies have systematically hidden negative and exaggerated positive results in their clinical trials of antidepressants (see article Antidepressant Studies Unpublished in NYT), thus misleading patients and doctors for many years.
READ MORE @ TRANS WORLD NEWS
This is not data from a limited study; it instead concerns information on a national level for ALL suicides (18-84 years) for 2006. The information is unique; registries now exist in Sweden making it possible for the National Board of Health and Welfare to see how many of the suicides were preceded by psychiatric drug treatment.
Among a total number of 377 women who committed suicide, 197 (52%) had filled a prescription for antidepressants within 180 days before their death. And 29 women (8%) had filled a prescription for neuroleptics ("antipsychotics") ONLY within 180 days before the suicide.
This means that 229 women - 60% - of those who committed suicide (18-84) in Sweden (2006) had filled a prescription for antidepressant drugs OR neuroleptics within 180 days before their suicide.
Neuroleptics were involved in total in 97 (26%) of the suicides among women, (68 women, 18%, got BOTH antidepressants and neuroleptics). NOT included in these figures is the percentage of women who got other forms of psychiatric drugs, like benzodiazepines.
The data are revealed just after the news broke that pharmaceutical companies have systematically hidden negative and exaggerated positive results in their clinical trials of antidepressants (see article Antidepressant Studies Unpublished in NYT), thus misleading patients and doctors for many years.
READ MORE @ TRANS WORLD NEWS
Monday, January 21, 2008
Height link to suicide attempts
Men are less likely to attempt suicide if they are tall, research has shown.
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health examined the suicide and death figures for 320,000 Swedish men born between 1973 and 1980.
It found that short babies - those less than 47cm in length at birth - were more likely to attempt suicide as adults, regardless of their eventual height.
Short birth length more than doubled the risk of violent suicide, defined as the use of guns or knives, jumping from a height or in front of vehicles, or drowning.
But short men who were born a normal length were also affected.
The study found they were 56% more likely to take their own lives than tall men.
The authors of the study suggested the brain chemical serotonin, which is crucial to brain development, could be the reason for their findings.
Low serotonin levels can trigger impulsive, aggressive and suicidal behaviour, and can be caused by premature birth and other factors affecting growth in the womb.
READ MORE @ THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health examined the suicide and death figures for 320,000 Swedish men born between 1973 and 1980.
It found that short babies - those less than 47cm in length at birth - were more likely to attempt suicide as adults, regardless of their eventual height.
Short birth length more than doubled the risk of violent suicide, defined as the use of guns or knives, jumping from a height or in front of vehicles, or drowning.
But short men who were born a normal length were also affected.
The study found they were 56% more likely to take their own lives than tall men.
The authors of the study suggested the brain chemical serotonin, which is crucial to brain development, could be the reason for their findings.
Low serotonin levels can trigger impulsive, aggressive and suicidal behaviour, and can be caused by premature birth and other factors affecting growth in the womb.
READ MORE @ THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Effect of antidepressant warnings moderate-US study
Warnings that antidepressants might increase the risk of suicidal behavior in youth curbed rapid growth of these drugs but did not eliminate access to them among young people as some had feared, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
They said that while antidepressants had been growing at an annualized rate of 36 percent before regulators made the warnings in 2003, that growth flattened out after the warnings were issued.
Doctors have assumed that a spike in teen suicide in 2004 reulted from a sharp fall in use of antidepressants among children and youth.
That was not the case, according to Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University Medical Center.
"When the warnings first appeared, there was a great deal of concern among psychiatrists and other mental health professionals that these warnings would result in a precipitous decline in antidepressant use by young people, and as a result, youth with depression would have less access to treatment," said Olfson, whose study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
They said that while antidepressants had been growing at an annualized rate of 36 percent before regulators made the warnings in 2003, that growth flattened out after the warnings were issued.
Doctors have assumed that a spike in teen suicide in 2004 reulted from a sharp fall in use of antidepressants among children and youth.
That was not the case, according to Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University Medical Center.
"When the warnings first appeared, there was a great deal of concern among psychiatrists and other mental health professionals that these warnings would result in a precipitous decline in antidepressant use by young people, and as a result, youth with depression would have less access to treatment," said Olfson, whose study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
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