Suicide behaviour of patients treated with antidepressants

Although antidepressants undoubtedly treat depression and decrease suicidality in case of severely ill depressives in the case of good clinical response, there is evidence that antidepressants can worsen depression and can increase suicidality in a very small subpopulation. Some individual case histories were published that of SSRIs can induce suicidal behaviour, mainly at the beginning of the treatment, during akathisia, restlessness and agitation. Some clinical trials suggested that provocation of suicidality could be a serious side-effect of antidepressants. The almost double frequency of suicidal behaviour of patients on antidepressants compared to patients on placebo; it is in sharp contrast with the 2-6 fold lower suicide risk of antidepressant treatment versus untreated patients.