SSRIs, Suicide and Violent Behavior: is There a Need for a Better Definition of the Depressive State?

This article raises & discusses issues related to the use of selective serotonin reputake inhibitors with children & adolescents. The issues are whether there is an overuse of antidepressants & does the risk of suicide increase with the prescription of antidepressants in the whole population. Is the response to antidepressants modified during adolescence &, if so, by what mechanisms? The current criteria for defining the depressive state are still similar to those employed in the 19th century; it is concluded, therefore, that there is a need to develop an evidence-based approach to psychiatry that aims to delineate diagnostic categories predictive of the response to treatment. (37 refs.)