Abstract
Relationship Between Antidepressant Medication Treatment and Suicide in Adolescents
Olfson M~~Shaffer D~~et al.
The relationship between regional changes in antidepressant medication treatment & suicide in American adolescents from 1990-2000 was evaluated. There was a significant adjusted negative relationship between regional change in antidepressant medication treatment & suicide over the study period. A 1% increase in adolescent use of antidepressants was associated with a 0.23 suicide per 100,000 adolescents per year. This inverse relationship raises the possibility of a role for using antidepressant treatment in youth suicide prevention efforts, particularly for males, older adolescents, & adolescents in lower-income regions. (49 refs.)