Observing time effect of SSRIs on suicide risk and suicide-related behaviour: a network meta-analysis protocol

Suicide is a serious problem worldwide and 90% cases are associated with pre-existing or underlying mental illness. As a common treatment for depressive symptoms that suicidal people may receive, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been linked to a possible increase in suicide rates. Studies focusing on SSRIs and suicide have produced inconsistent results, suggesting that use of SSRIs decreases, increases, has no effect on suicide rates, or that the effect of SSRIs on suicide is age-dependent. This protocol of network meta-analysis aims to precisely evaluate the time effects of SSRIs by observing weekly changes of suicidality in the first 2 months of the treatment, and consequently, to explore whether the effect of the SSRIs on suicide varies depending on the stages of the treatment; if so, we will identify the turning point.

We will search in the following databases: PubMed, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data, from dates of inception to 9 July 2021, with language restricted to English and Chinese. Studies focusing on the time effect of SSRIs on suicide will be retrieved. Then, the study selection process will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline, and the quality assessment will be conducted with Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Two researchers will work independently on data extraction using a standardised data extraction spreadsheet. Any disagreement between two researchers will be discussed and determined by a third researcher.

This work does not require ethics approval as it will be based on published studies. This review will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

CRD42021244779.