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Antidepressants are psychiatric medications that are used to alleviate mood disorders such as anxiety disorders, major depression and chronic mood disorder. Example of antidepressants drugs mostly prescribed by psychiatrists and physicians includes tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tetracyclic antidepressants, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Many have argued that, antidepressant often causes adverse effects on those that are severely depressed to the point of attempting suicide (Briley, 1999). As a result, many have been warned on the use of antidepressants for it has been assumed to increase suicidal thoughts along with its behavior. This paper discusses that, antidepressants do not lead to suicide.
Among the individuals that disagreed on the fact that this medication do not lead to suicide were Goran Isacsson, Mulder, R, Louise Bradvik and Mats Berglund. Goran Isacsson was a senior physician for affective disorder in the department of psychiatry. Been a senior physician, he did a study that demonstrated that antidepressant treatment prevents suicide. He used detections method of different antidepressants within forensic screening of 14, 857 suicides where he compared with 26, 422 cases of other causes of death. The result showed that, many causes of suicidal were because of depression and not the use of antidepressants. Among those cases, 1539 suicides were controlled through the treatment (Briley, 1999).
For eleven years as a senior physician, he analyzed this treatment to have suicide control. However, the few cases were caused by overdose of drugs. In his research, he concluded that, antidepressants were the major cause of decrease of suicide that was demonstrated by his result. From his study, it was obvious that, this treatment tends to decrease the rate of suicides cases but in few cases if overdose can lead to suicide.
The other study he did was forensic toxicology of 16, 937 suicides in Sweden 1995-2005 that indicated that the use of antidepressants decrease suicides. Most of his evidence was consisted of studies that demonstrated decrease of suicide cases by use of this medication in different population. As he analyzed the causes of suicides in Sweden, a large number was caused by depression. From his argument, if these victims used antidepressants, the number could have reduced.
Roger Mulder was the second individual who in his study concluded that antidepressant treatment is associated with reduction of suicidal ideation and its attempts. His main objective was to measure the changes of suicidal behavior for depressed patients during the first six months of this treatment. Patients that made suicide attempts dropped from thirty-nine to twenty during treatment. In addition, suicidal ideation dropped from 47 % to 14 %. Significant outcomes showed that, treatment of depression along with antidepressants is associated with reduction of suicidal cases. The results concluded that, suicide behaviors are most common in depressed patients and this medication was effective in reducing the disorder. This was because of the low rate of emergent suicidal cases that dropped instantly.
Other studies were made by Louise Bradvik and Mats Berglund on suicide in severe depression that was related to treatment, depressive characteristics and rate of antidepressant overdose. Louise Bradvik in her research assessed that, suicide is caused by severe depression and not the treatment used. Investigation of high cases of many attempting suicide were in large number among many clinics. With introduction of antidepressant pharmacotherapy, it prevented severe depression on suicide victims. From her argument, this treatment was best recommended on professional dealing with suicidal victims along with researches within the field of sociology. Its significant was due to the control it has on severe depression thus reducing suicidal attempts. This research was also supported by Mats Berglund who in his study evaluated ninety-six suicides with severe depression. Among the number, 57 had made suicide attempts and the occurrence of attempt was less common after using this treatment. Among depressed patients, mood disorder is most considered the reason why many depressed victims’ attempts suicide. Therefore, treatment of depression is assumed to reduce the rates of attempted together with completed suicide (Leonard, 2001).
The use of antidepressants was evaluated to be the suitable treatment to depression. This was proved by the fact that, 91 % of the patients met the criteria of been treated from depressive disorder with use of melancholia or else psychosis. The symptoms of elevated mood decreased from 80 % to 40 %, which in return reduced suicidal cases. Based on their arguments, mood disorder was the greatest cause of suicide in many victims. Therefore, antidepressant treatment been associated with suicide was not logic (Shader & Ciraulo, 2010).
From their researches, they assumed that increased treatment of depression might reduce the risk of suicidal attempts. They estimated 98 suicide victims that were admitted in Department of psychiatry, Lund University hospital from 1956 to 1969. When antidepressants were used, the number of patients decreased to 3 %. However, when the drugs are overdosed they concluded to have a major cause in suicide. From their knowledge, a possible relation between depressive symptoms with suicide in spit of antidepressant therapy was not fully investigated. This is been one of the reason why argue that this medication lead to suicide.
Madrona (2010) argues that, if one is suffering from major depression, antidepressant medication should be used under the guidance physician, which helps to relieve the symptoms such as suicidal attempts. The use of these drugs have been said to reduce short tem effects of suicidal cases. The impact of antidepressant in patients with suicidal behavior cannot be ignored. According to Leonard (2001), the use of this prescription enhances improvement of patients suffering from depression thus reduces suicidality when the victim use this medication.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as discussed in this paper, the use of antidepressants is vital in treating depression. Born in mind that, the treatment of depression reduces attempted rates and completed suicide, this medication is vital in reducing suicidal cases as discussed by Goran Isacsson, Mulder, R, Louise Bradvik and Mats Berglund. These individuals have shown the importance this medication has in reducing suicidal attempts.
For eleven years as a senior physician, Goran Isacsson in his research affirmed on how this treatment has suicide control. This was proved by the annual number of suicide cases that reduced because of this medication. Roger Mulder in his research explained that, suicide behaviors are most common in depressed patients and when this medication is applied it reduce this disorder. Other studies were made by Mats Berglund and Louise Bradvik on suicide in severe depression that was evaluated that depressive characteristics and rate of antidepressant overdose are the major causes of suicide. These individuals in their research supported that antidepressants do not lead to suicide.
References
Briley,M. (1999). Antidepressant Therapy at the Dawn of the Third Millennium. London: Taylor and Francis
Leonard, B.E. (2001). Antidepressants. New York: Birkhäuser
Madrona, L.W. (2010). Healing the Mind through the Power of Story: The Promise of Narrative Psychiatry. New York: Inner Traditions / Bear & Company
Shader, R.I.,& Ciraulo,D.A. (2010). Pharmacotherapy of Depression. New York: Springer
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