Antidepressants may double risk of suicide and aggression in children, study finds

Doctors should avoid prescribing antidepressants to children and teenagers wherever possible because they are associated with a doubling in the risk of aggression and suicide, Danish researchers have concluded in The BMJ.1 They recommend considering alternative treatments such as exercise or psychotherapy.

The researchers carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of 70 trials with 18 526 patients. The trials examined the use of five of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants: duloxetine; fluoxetine; paroxetine; sertraline, and venlafaxine.

They included in their study only double blind placebo …