Better antidepressant prescribing is associated with fewer suicides

In Australia the largest declines in suicide in men and women occur in the groups with the highest exposure to antidepressant drugs. Hall and colleagues (p 1008) examined the association between antidepressant prescribing and rates of suicide from 1991 to 2000, when there was a large increase in prescribing of antidepressants, especially the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The authors concluded that antidepressant prescribing probably contributed to the decline in suicides because it reflected improvements in the management of depression by general practitioners, who are now responsible for treating most cases of depression in Australia.    

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Relevant Article

Association between antidepressant prescribing and suicide in Australia, 1991-2000: trend analysis

Wayne D Hall, Andrea Mant, Philip B Mitchell, Valerie A Rendle, Ian B Hickie, and Peter McManus
BMJ 2003 326: 1008. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]