| Suicide Rate Is Unchanged |
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/29/AR2005052900829_pf.html Suicide Rate Is Unchanged Despite a dramatic increase in the psychiatric treatment of emotional disorders over the past decade, there has been no decrease in the rate of suicidal thoughts and behavior among adults, according to a highly respected federal survey. People who attempt suicide were far more likely to be treated, especially with antidepressants such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, in 2001-2003 compared with 1990-1992. But the rates of suicidal ideation, gestures and attempts remained essentially unchanged, said researchers from Harvard Medical School and elsewhere, who published their findings last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The striking finding may have several explanations, they said: Reductions in suicidal behavior as a result of treatment might be offset by increases in such behavior triggered by the drugs in some people -- the Food and Drug Administration last year warned of such effects in children, but has not said the problem affects adults. It is possible that suicidal behavior would have increased without the growth in treatment, or that patients got inadequate treatment. It is also possible that antidepressants are not good at reducing suicidal behavior, even when prescribed correctly. The analysis was based on a recent survey of 9,708 adults and a comparable survey in the early 1990s. It was primarily funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. -- Shankar Vedantam |
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