Has the uptick in teen suicides coincided with the distribution of antidepressants?
It seems like EVERYbody, from preschoolers on up, is on some sort of personality altering drugs. Every other person identifies as “depressed,” and it’s not hard to get a doc to write off on that.
It’s well known that antidepressants can lead to thoughts of suicide. I never knew, or heard of, one single teen suicide when I was growing up. However, it seems to have become an epidemic over the last 20 years, which coincides with the increased use of prescription drugs.
Your thoughts?
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Perhaps, but I think the climbing rate to be much more a reflection of the mood in the country and the relentless decline in optimism.
Perhaps it can be blamed on social media, or partly on social media, as well.
@jca2 beat me to it. While I wouldn’t opine that over-prescribed medications are not a variable, I would agree that social media is likely the biggest culprit…
Thank you for asking this question. Suicide is a serious problem and is shrouded in stigma and misinformation, so it’s good to talk about it openly to dispel false information.
Suicide has increased in the US by 30% in the past 20 years. Link
What’s more frightening is that the rate of suicide attempts is much greater than successful completions. In 2015, 575,000 people went to the hospital for injuries that were self-inflicted that did not lead to death. Link
Antidepressants are only known to lead to suicidal thoughts in patients with bipolar disorder who need to be treated with mood stabilizers instead. Antidepressants do not lead to suicidal thoughts among patients with a type of depression.
It is important to point out that these medications do not alter one’s personality. They fight disease. They do not fight personality. When the disease is correctly treated, the personality can then heal and shine.
It’s possible that “every other person identifies as depressed” because they actually are depressed. Or it’s possible that that statement is an exaggeration. I work in mental health, and I do not hear every other person claiming to be depressed. Also, a doctor must do some important fact finding before prescribing medication.
If you are in a lot of emotional pain and very sad and having scary thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800–273-8255 or text START to 741741.
Those meds can 100% lead to suicide, especially if people have bad reactions to them.
Yes, it is a known, documented potential side effect.
My daughter quit taking her meds because she hated the way it made her feel. She said she didn’t feel depressed any more, but she also didn’t feel happy. Something sad would happen and she wouldn’t feel sad. Something good would happen and she didn’t feel happy. She said she didn’t feel anything at all and she hated it.
Interesting articles @Cupcake. Couldn’t get to the 2nd one, though. It required a log in.
So if a adolescent becomes suicidal after beginning the meds, her or she is excluded from the studies? Or did they start the study before they went on the meds?
I didn’t look at the criteria that closely. I’m sure there’s an ethical issue with including suicidal teens in your study. They are a protected population, since they are not adults.
I can download the study and email it to you, if you want to message me your email address.
@Cupcake Thank you very much for those articles. It appears I was wrong. Antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts in children and teens.
Concerning every other person identifying as depressed: that’s not the same as saying they’ve been seeing a therapist and/or psychiatrist and have been diagnosed as depressed.
Although I don’t have any statistics, having never thought to look into the idea, I might guess, on the humility principle, that other depressed people don’t talk about it much, and definitely not in such a way that they could be said to identify as depressed. Sorry if I’m taking that word too seriously.
I don’t know whether I’m unusual on this point: I don’t even really feel depressed. I just freaking hate this place and I look forward to the end. It’s my annoying pest of a friend, and the shrink she bullies me into seeing, who tell me I’m depressed, and insist that I take a handful of horse pills every night that rob me of the ability to enjoy porn, the last goddamned coping mechanism I had. (Frankly, I think you guys are the ones with mental health issues; no sane person would want to stay here.)
Peace and luck
What place @SaganRitual? And why are you letting a friend bully you into doing something you don’t want to do?
@Dutchess_III This planet, and I let my friend bully me because she seems to have a better grasp on life than I do. Lame, but it would take a long time to do it justice.
@Dutchess_III Do you know I can get an email when someone @s me? I have all the boxes checked on my account notifications thing, like this: link, but I don’t get emails. Is there some extra trick?
@SaganRitual There are many different antidepressants and not all of them have sexual side effects. Please tell your psychiatrist about the side effect and ask to try another medication.
And what does “stones” mean?
@Hawaii_Jake Cojones? Courage? I’m impressed? Take your pick. (re: that admission of error above)
Antidepressants, haha. We’ve been through all of them. We’re going to try ketamine next. At least it will get me high for a little while, that’s some consolation. Cheers
@SaganRitual I am so sorry to hear you’ve tried them all. I read really good things about the ketamine treatment. All the best to you. (I take meds for bipolar disorder with few side effects. I used to have terrible weight gain from an old med.)
As far as the other thing goes – I was presented with differing facts. My information proved incorrect. I used the new, better information to change my mind. I’m not an idiot.
^^^ @Hawaii_Jake Two against one! You have to take the compliment now.
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