Depression treatment helps reduce suicide attempt incidence

Researchers at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle have found that treatment for depression may help reduce the incidence of suicide attempts.

Washington, July 2 : Researchers at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle have found that treatment for depression may help reduce the incidence of suicide attempts.

In a study of more than 100,000 patients treated for depression, the researchers saw that suicide attempts had declined during the first month of treatment, whether it consisted of medication, psychotherapy, or both. The findings were similar for adolescents, young adults up to the age of 24, and older adults.

Dr. Greg Simon, Group Health Psychiatrist, says that the study shed new light on the "black box" advisory that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed in 2004, and has revised since then.

Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Simon's study is the first to compare the risk of suicide attempts before and after the start of treatment with not only antidepressants, but also psychotherapy.

It involved computerized medical and pharmacy records for more than 109,000 patients who had started treatment for depression at Group Health from 1996 to 2005. The suicide attempts were about twice as common among patients up to age 24 as among older adults, although the time pattern was the same for both age groups, regardless of the type of treatment they received.

The researchers say that suicide attempts were made most likely during the month before the treatment started, and it fell by at least 50 per cent in the month after treatment began, with steady declines thereafter.

It was also noted that at all time points-three months before or six months after starting the treatment-patients who received their antidepressant prescription from a psychiatrist tended to be most likely to attempt suicide. Whereas, patients receiving it from their primary care doctor were least likely to attempt suicide, with levels in between for those who got individual psychotherapy from a therapist other than a psychiatrist.

"That's not because seeing a psychiatrist makes you want to kill yourself," said Dr. Simon.

He suggests that the findings highlight the fact that people with severe depression, who tend to be more suicidal, are more likely to be referred to psychiatrists, while those with milder depression stick with their primary doctors.

"Our study indicates that there's nothing specific to antidepressant medications that would either make large populations of people with depression start trying to kill themselves-or protect them from suicidal thoughts," said Dr. Simon.

"Instead, we think that, on average, starting any type of treatment-medication, psychotherapy, or both-helps most people of any age have fewer symptoms of depression, including thinking about suicide and attempting it," he added.

He stressed the need for regular monitoring of patients during treatment with antidepressants to ensure that they are receiving the right medication at a dose that helps them feel better.

"If people feel agitated or suicidal, they should seek help from a doctor or therapist," he said.

ANI