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Are antidepressants
the driver behind adolescent (teenaged) suicides? Both treatments
for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression
have been the subject of significant controversy. In recent
news, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warnings
that Strattera, a newer treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), may trigger suicidal thoughts in teens. Clinical
trials conducted on Strattera, showed that five out 1,357 patients
who took the ADHD drug experienced suicidal thoughts compared
to zero out of 857 who were administered a placebo. It is difficult
to ascertain what transpires outside of the confines of a tightly-controlled
study. The risks of an adolescent taking his or her life is
any area of contention and grave concern. Over the last five
years, (2001-2006) suicides have accounted for more than 35,000
American deaths. The vast majority of the suicides were found
in teenagers from the ages of 18 to 19.
The controversy of
adolescent suicides and antidepressants has been put into perspective
by Dr. David Shaffer, a leading expert on suicidal behavior,
the director of child and adolescent psychology at Columbia
University. Review Dr. Shaffer’s findings and facts regarding
adolescents, antidepressants and suicide:
- Approximately,
20 percent of all high school-aged kids experience suicidal
thoughts.
- Over the last year,
one in five American adolescents has thought about suicide.
- Alcohol usage has
a tendency of driving the suicide rate.
It is highly likely
that antidepressants are reducing the risks of suicide. Evidence
proving that antidepressants are not the significant cause of
suicides is based on autopsy studies. Toxicology analyses from
youth suicides conducted New York and Salt Lake City have not
found traces of antidepressants, such as SSRIs to be the leading
cause of suicide.
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