QuestionQuestion
What is the association between antidepressants and the risk of suicide?
Population
757 adult participants (mean age 38.1 years; 61.8% women) of the Collaborative Depression Study being treated for depression (77.7%), mania (15.7%), schizoaffective-manic disorder (3.5%) or schizoaffective-depressed disorder (3.2%; diagnoses made using Research Diagnostic Criteria). At intake, mean Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was 20.2. Participants with comorbidities, receiving acute or maintenance therapies, polypharmacy or no psychopharmacologic treatment were included. Most participants had several periods of antidepressant use during follow up.
Setting
Five academic medical centres, USA; recruitment from 1978 to 1981.
Prognostic factors
Exposure to antidepressant medication. For each week of follow-up, participants were classified as being exposed or not exposed to antidepressants, irrespective of dose, specific antidepressant or use of other medications. The antidepressant exposure interval was the unit of analysis and defined as the period of consecutive weeks without a change in antidepressant status. Exposure intervals were ended…