Why Give Kids Antidepressants That Can Cause Them to Kill Themselves?

A study involving nearly 5,500 adults and children has added to the evidence that common antidepressants increase suicide risk for children and adolescents.

The study found that children aged 6 to 18 who were treated with antidepressants were 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide, and 15 times more likely to die of the attempt, than children who were diagnosed with depression but did not receive drug treatment.

Adults who used the drugs did not show a similar trend, and the risk appeared to be linked to certain types of antidepressants and not others. Effexor (Venlafaxine), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), was associated with 2.3 times the risk of suicide attempts.

Tricyclic antidepressants and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Zoloft were also significantly linked with suicide attempts.

Children and adolescents who used antidepressants were at the highest risk for suicide in the period immediately after a hospitalization, and especially if they were just beginning to use antidepressants for the first time.

Two years ago, the FDA directed manufacturers of SSRI antidepressants, which include Celexa, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft, to put a special "black box" warning on the drugs' label alerting health care providers of the suicide risk.