A public health advisory issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2003, followed by drug label warnings, indicated that children and adolescents taking antidepressants were at increased risk of developing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Research has shown that these warnings reduced the diagnosis and treatment of depression among young people. Now, a new study suggests that the warnings may also have contributed to an increase in suicide deaths among youth.
The authors of the study, which is published in Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice, estimate that there may have been 5,958 excess suicides nationally by 2010 among 43 million adolescents and 21 million young adults.
“Our findings suggest the boxed warnings may have contributed to the very thing the FDA was trying to prevent. More than two-thirds of depressed teens do not receive any depression care whatsoever, an issue now further exacerbated by COVID-19. We strongly recommend the FDA reexamine the use of these warnings," said principal investigator Stephen Soumerai, ScD, of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.
Additional Information
Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1176/appi.prcp.20200012
About Journal
Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice (PRCP) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal from the American Psychiatric Association that offers a high-profile publishing destination for submissions that build upon the psychiatric knowledge base and bring research findings closer to clinical utility through deeper investigation.
About Wiley
Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms and services, we help students, researchers, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all of our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.