Suicide Rates and Antidepressant Prescribing
Author Information
Author(s): Bernhard Baune, Phillipa Hay
Primary Institution: James Cook University
Hypothesis
Was the use of antidepressants associated with a change in suicide rates in the general population of the United States between 1988 and 2002?
Conclusion
There was an inverse correlation between suicide rates and fluoxetine prescriptions.
Supporting Evidence
- Suicide rates fluctuated between 12.2 and 13.7 per 100,000 people from the early 1960s until 1988.
- Suicide rates gradually declined to 10.4 per 100,000 people in the year 2000.
- The prescription of fluoxetine inversely increased in relation to the trend in suicide rates from 1988 to 2002.
- Modeling suggested that fluoxetine prescription decreases suicides, both in women and in men.
- If pre-1988 trends were extrapolated through 2002, suicide numbers would have been higher by about 33,600 cases.
Takeaway
The study found that as more people were prescribed fluoxetine, the number of suicides went down, suggesting that antidepressants might help reduce suicide rates.
Methodology
An ecological study using aggregated data on suicide and fluoxetine prescriptions from 1960 to 2002.
Potential Biases
The study may overinterpret the causal relationship between fluoxetine prescriptions and suicide rates.
Limitations
The study did not include people above 65 years of age and relied on fluoxetine as a model for all SSRIs, which may not accurately reflect the impact of newer antidepressants.
Participant Demographics
General population of the United States, ages 15-65.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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