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Study Shows No Correlation in Suicide Attempts and Antidepressant Use in Teens
DENVER (December 13, 2004) — Researchers at the University of Colorado Denver recently concluded an observational study to test the theory that antidepressant use by teens put them at increased risk for attempting suicide. The UCD study that is published this month in the international journal CNS Drugs, found no correlation between antidepressant use and suicide attempt in teens after adjusting for many related factors.
The study was completed by observing a sample of managed care enrollees across the United States, ages 12 to 18, who were newly diagnosed with major depressive disorder between January 1997 and March 2003. The study was led by Robert Valuck, PhD, associate professor of pharmacy and Anne M. Libby, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at UCDHSC. Alexis Giese, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and Marion Sills, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics also participated.
More than 24,000 adolescents with major depression nationally met criteria to be included in the study. Crude suicide attempt rates over the six-year period ranged from zero to 2.3 percent, and varied according to antidepressant used, if any. After adjusting for a number of demographic and clinical characteristics, the risk of suicide attempt was not statistically increased for teens with major depression that were treated with antidepressants.
Further, treatment with antidepressant medication for at least 180 days (6 months) reduced the likelihood of suicide attempt compared with antidepressant treatment for less than 55 days.
"Antidepressant use did not have an effect statistically for an elevated suicide risk rate among a large group of adolescents observed in this study across the United States," said Valuck. "That said, I think these data are very complex and further investigation of the relationship between teen suicidal behavior and antidepressant use is needed before any succinct conclusions can be reached."
Libby emphasized that this topic must also be investigated within the context of health care delivery. "Treatment of teen depression can vary when you look at the differing levels of health insurance coverage," said Libby. "Teen depression treatments are most definitely affected by costs, like what drugs may or may not be covered, and who is administering treatment - such as a pediatrician or a psychiatrist - and all these things need to be studied together to really understand the dynamics of adolescent antidepressant use and suicide risk."
The University of Colorado Denver is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu.