Re: UCLA - No Suicide Link

[Guest guest]

I love these studies! Earlier in the week there was one that said

that suicides are staying the same in overall numbers and that ssri's

have had no effect on the total number. I guess it depends on who's

funding the study!

In SSRI medications , " F DOGG " <F_DAWGY_DOGG@h...> wrote:

> Date: 2005-02-07

> URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050205102643.htm

> --------------------------------------------------------------------

----

>

> New UCLA Study Disputes Antidepressant/Suicide Link

>

> Challenging recent claims linking antidepressant use to suicidal

behavior, a

> new UCLA study shows that American suicide rates have dropped

steadily since

> the introduction of Prozac and other serotonin reuptake inhibitor

(SSRI)

> drugs. Published in the February edition of the journal Nature

Reviews Drug

> Discovery, the authors caution that regulatory actions to limit

SSRI

> prescriptions may actually increase death rates from untreated

depression,

> the No. 1 cause of suicide.

>

> " The recent debate has focused solely on a possible link between

> antidepressant use and suicide risk without examining the question

within a

> broader historical and medical context, " explained Dr. Julio

Licinio, a

> professor of psychiatry and endocrinology at the Geffen

School of

> Medicine and a researcher at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric

Institute. " We feared

> that the absence of treatment may prove more harmful to depressed

> individuals than the effects of the drugs themselves. "

>

> " The vast majority of people who commit suicide suffer from

untreated

> depression, " he added. " We wanted to explore a possible SSRI-

suicide link

> while ensuring that effective treatment and drug development for

depression

> were not halted without cause. "

>

> Licinio worked with fellow psychiatrist Dr. Ma-Ling Wong to conduct

an

> exhaustive database search of studies published between 1960 and

2004 on

> antidepressants and suicide. The team reviewed each piece of

research in

> great detail and created a timeline of key regulatory events

related to

> antidepressants. Then they generated charts tracking antidepressant

use and

> suicide rates in the United States.

>

> What they found surprised them.

>

> " Suicide rates rose steadily from 1960 to 1988 when Prozac, the

first SSRI

> drug, was introduced, " said Licinio. " Since then, suicide rates

have dropped

> precipitously, sliding from the 8th to the 11th leading cause of

death in

> the United States. "

>

> Several large-scale studies in the United States and Europe also

screened

> blood samples from suicide victims and found no association between

> antidepressant use and suicide.

>

> " Researchers found blood antidepressant levels in less than 20

percent of

> suicide cases, " said Licinio. " This implies that the vast majority

of

> suicide victims never received treatment for their depression. "

>

> " Our findings strongly suggest that these individuals who committed

suicide

> were not reacting to their SSRI medication, " he added. " They

actually killed

> themselves due to untreated depression. This was particularly true

in men

> and in people under 30. "

>

> Licinio and Wong fear that overzealous regulatory and medical

reaction,

> public confusion and widespread media coverage may persuade people

to stop

> taking antidepressants altogether. They warn that this would result

in a far

> worse situation by causing a drop in treatment for people who

actually need

> it.

>

> The UCLA study also looked at other reasons that may contribute to

suicidal

> behavior by people taking SSRIs for depression.

>

> Before the introduction of SSRIs, patients taking early drug

treatments for

> depression were susceptible to overdoses and serious side effects,

such as

> irregular heart rates and blood pressure increases. As a result,

doctors

> prescribed the drugs in small doses and followed patients closely.

>

> In contrast, toxic side effects are rare in SSRIs. Physicians often

> prescribe the drugs in larger doses and may not see the patient

again for up

> to two months. This scenario, Licinio warns, can set the stage for

suicide

> risk.

>

> " When people start antidepressant therapy, the first symptom to be

> alleviated is low energy, but the feeling that life isn't worth

living is

> the last to go, " he said. " Prior to taking SSRIs, depressed people

may not

> have committed suicide due to their extreme lethargy. As they begin

drug

> therapy, they experience more energy, but still feel that life

isn't worth

> living. That's when a depressed person is most in danger of

committing

> suicide. "

>

> Licinio stresses the need for even closer monitoring of SSRI use by

> children.

>

> " The only antidepressant proven to be effective for treating

children with

> depression is Prozac, " he said. " Children should receive Prozac

only and

> should be followed very closely by their physicians during

treatment. "

>

> ###

>

> Funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and

an award

> from the Dana Foundation supported the research.

>

> Depression is a complex disorder that affects some 10 percent of

men and 20

> percent of women in the United States during their lifetime. Ten to

15

> percent of depressed people commit suicide. Depression plays a role

in at

> least half of all adult suicides and in 76 percent of suicides

committed by

> children. Suicide is the most common cause of death in children age

5 to 14,

> the third most common cause of death in people age 15 to 24, and

the fourth

> most common cause in people age 25 to 44.

>

> The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute is an interdisciplinary

research and

> education institute devoted to the understanding of complex human

behavior,

> and the causes and consequences of neuropsychiatric disorders. See

> http://www.npi.ucla.edu for more

[Guest guest]

I love these studies! Earlier in the week there was one that said

that suicides are staying the same in overall numbers and that ssri's

have had no effect on the total number. I guess it depends on who's

funding the study!

In SSRI medications , " F DOGG " <F_DAWGY_DOGG@h...> wrote:

> Date: 2005-02-07

> URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050205102643.htm

> --------------------------------------------------------------------

----

>

> New UCLA Study Disputes Antidepressant/Suicide Link

>

> Challenging recent claims linking antidepressant use to suicidal

behavior, a

> new UCLA study shows that American suicide rates have dropped

steadily since

> the introduction of Prozac and other serotonin reuptake inhibitor

(SSRI)

> drugs. Published in the February edition of the journal Nature

Reviews Drug

> Discovery, the authors caution that regulatory actions to limit

SSRI

> prescriptions may actually increase death rates from untreated

depression,

> the No. 1 cause of suicide.

>

> " The recent debate has focused solely on a possible link between

> antidepressant use and suicide risk without examining the question

within a

> broader historical and medical context, " explained Dr. Julio

Licinio, a

> professor of psychiatry and endocrinology at the Geffen

School of

> Medicine and a researcher at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric

Institute. " We feared

> that the absence of treatment may prove more harmful to depressed

> individuals than the effects of the drugs themselves. "

>

> " The vast majority of people who commit suicide suffer from

untreated

> depression, " he added. " We wanted to explore a possible SSRI-

suicide link

> while ensuring that effective treatment and drug development for

depression

> were not halted without cause. "

>

> Licinio worked with fellow psychiatrist Dr. Ma-Ling Wong to conduct

an

> exhaustive database search of studies published between 1960 and

2004 on

> antidepressants and suicide. The team reviewed each piece of

research in

> great detail and created a timeline of key regulatory events

related to

> antidepressants. Then they generated charts tracking antidepressant

use and

> suicide rates in the United States.

>

> What they found surprised them.

>

> " Suicide rates rose steadily from 1960 to 1988 when Prozac, the

first SSRI

> drug, was introduced, " said Licinio. " Since then, suicide rates

have dropped

> precipitously, sliding from the 8th to the 11th leading cause of

death in

> the United States. "

>

> Several large-scale studies in the United States and Europe also

screened

> blood samples from suicide victims and found no association between

> antidepressant use and suicide.

>

> " Researchers found blood antidepressant levels in less than 20

percent of

> suicide cases, " said Licinio. " This implies that the vast majority

of

> suicide victims never received treatment for their depression. "

>

> " Our findings strongly suggest that these individuals who committed

suicide

> were not reacting to their SSRI medication, " he added. " They

actually killed

> themselves due to untreated depression. This was particularly true

in men

> and in people under 30. "

>

> Licinio and Wong fear that overzealous regulatory and medical

reaction,

> public confusion and widespread media coverage may persuade people

to stop

> taking antidepressants altogether. They warn that this would result

in a far

> worse situation by causing a drop in treatment for people who

actually need

> it.

>

> The UCLA study also looked at other reasons that may contribute to

suicidal

> behavior by people taking SSRIs for depression.

>

> Before the introduction of SSRIs, patients taking early drug

treatments for

> depression were susceptible to overdoses and serious side effects,

such as

> irregular heart rates and blood pressure increases. As a result,

doctors

> prescribed the drugs in small doses and followed patients closely.

>

> In contrast, toxic side effects are rare in SSRIs. Physicians often

> prescribe the drugs in larger doses and may not see the patient

again for up

> to two months. This scenario, Licinio warns, can set the stage for

suicide

> risk.

>

> " When people start antidepressant therapy, the first symptom to be

> alleviated is low energy, but the feeling that life isn't worth

living is

> the last to go, " he said. " Prior to taking SSRIs, depressed people

may not

> have committed suicide due to their extreme lethargy. As they begin

drug

> therapy, they experience more energy, but still feel that life

isn't worth

> living. That's when a depressed person is most in danger of

committing

> suicide. "

>

> Licinio stresses the need for even closer monitoring of SSRI use by

> children.

>

> " The only antidepressant proven to be effective for treating

children with

> depression is Prozac, " he said. " Children should receive Prozac

only and

> should be followed very closely by their physicians during

treatment. "

>

> ###

>

> Funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and

an award

> from the Dana Foundation supported the research.

>

> Depression is a complex disorder that affects some 10 percent of

men and 20

> percent of women in the United States during their lifetime. Ten to

15

> percent of depressed people commit suicide. Depression plays a role

in at

> least half of all adult suicides and in 76 percent of suicides

committed by

> children. Suicide is the most common cause of death in children age

5 to 14,

> the third most common cause of death in people age 15 to 24, and

the fourth

> most common cause in people age 25 to 44.

>

> The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute is an interdisciplinary

research and

> education institute devoted to the understanding of complex human

behavior,

> and the causes and consequences of neuropsychiatric disorders. See

> http://www.npi.ucla.edu for more

[Guest guest]

On Jun 4, 2005, at 2:18 PM, cdvlcarpenter wrote:

> Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient (victim)

> what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you have

> simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that it is

still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and half.

Wish us luck.

No longer in exile in Arizona,

, Amy & a North

AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

On Jun 4, 2005, at 2:18 PM, cdvlcarpenter wrote:

> Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient (victim)

> what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you have

> simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that it is

still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and half.

Wish us luck.

No longer in exile in Arizona,

, Amy & a North

AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

On Jun 4, 2005, at 2:18 PM, cdvlcarpenter wrote:

> Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient (victim)

> what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you have

> simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that it is

still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and half.

Wish us luck.

No longer in exile in Arizona,

, Amy & a North

AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

On Jun 4, 2005, at 2:18 PM, cdvlcarpenter wrote:

> Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient (victim)

> what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you have

> simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that it is

still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and half.

Wish us luck.

No longer in exile in Arizona,

, Amy & a North

AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

It is possible, we can just NEVER GIVE UP.

Charlie

>

> > Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient

(victim)

> > what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you

have

> > simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

>

> I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that

it is

> still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and

half.

> Wish us luck.

>

> No longer in exile in Arizona,

> , Amy & a North

> AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

It is possible, we can just NEVER GIVE UP.

Charlie

>

> > Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient

(victim)

> > what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you

have

> > simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

>

> I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that

it is

> still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and

half.

> Wish us luck.

>

> No longer in exile in Arizona,

> , Amy & a North

> AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

It is possible, we can just NEVER GIVE UP.

Charlie

>

> > Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient

(victim)

> > what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you

have

> > simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

>

> I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that

it is

> still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and

half.

> Wish us luck.

>

> No longer in exile in Arizona,

> , Amy & a North

> AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1

[Guest guest]

It is possible, we can just NEVER GIVE UP.

Charlie

>

> > Sometimes it is almost impossible to convince the patient

(victim)

> > what's going on. They believe they have just changed and you

have

> > simply stripped a gear. So far I've been unable to do that

>

> I know exactly what you mean. It is sad. But, I have heard that

it is

> still possible. We see the psychiatrist in about a week and

half.

> Wish us luck.

>

> No longer in exile in Arizona,

> , Amy & a North

> AOL Instant Messenger Luthercat1