FDA Finds SSRIs Elevate Suicide Risk in Young Adults

The Food and Drug Administration late yesterday released its meta-analysis of the relationship between antidepressant use and suicide in adults, and found that for young adults under 25, the risk approached that previously found for youths. However, the agency's reviewers found no risk for older adults. The FDA will hold an advisory committee hearing on the issue next week.

Here's the relevant paragraph from the FDA's internal study:

In contrast with the previous FDA review of pediatric studies, the pooled estimates of studies of the adult population support the null hypothesis of no treatment effect on suicidality. The most obvious explanation for this difference in results is that the effect may be age related. When results are analyzed by age it becomes clear that there is an elevated risk for suicidality and suicidal behavior among adults younger than 25 years of age that approaches that seen in the pediatric population. The net effect appears to be neutral on suicidal behavior but possibly protective for suicidality for adults between the ages of 25 and 64 and to reduce the risk of both suicidality and suicidal behavior in subjects aged 65 years and older.