Abstract
BACKGROUND: A causal relationship between antidepressants (ADs) and a high risk of suicidal behavior at a young age has been suggested. We analyzed the rates of suicide attempts during treatment with AD in comparison with the rates before treatment initiation for different ages.
METHODS: Claims of insurance company Achmea were linked to the population registry of Statistics Netherlands. Episodes of AD use were defined for those with their first registered prescription in 2006-2011 (n = 66,196). Rates were analyzed in a Poisson model. Correlates of attempts in the first month of AD use were assessed in a logistic model.
RESULTS: Among those aged <25 years, a high rate of suicide attempts during the month before the start of ADs was found (376.3/10 000 person yrs). A non-significant increase in the first month (p = 0.212) was found and a non-significant trend to lower values was determined thereafter (p = 0.3050). Among those ≧25 years, a clear decrease to lower rates immediately after the start was observed (p < 0.025). The highest rates of suicide were found among those >40 years during the first month. Female gender was, but treatment characteristics were not, associated with early attempts at a young age.
CONCLUSIONS: Among young AD users, a high pre-treatment risk of suicide attempts was present and persisted during the early phases after the start. This contrasted with the clear decrease in risk among those aged ≧25 years, suggesting lower effectiveness of ADs to prevent suicidal behavior at young ages. Caution should be exercised to infer a causal relationship or to use data on attempts to predict risk of suicide during AD use.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2016 |
Bibliographical note
© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.Keywords
- age
- antidepressants
- pharmaco-epidemiology
- suicide
- suicide attempts