Antidepressants

Suicide strongly correlates with poor mental health, particularly mood disorders. Antidepressants are the primary treatment for these disorders, but effective administration hinges on proper diagnosis and thorough follow-up of patients. There is consensus on the vital role of educating primary care doctors to improve depression management with antidepressants and reduce suicide risk. Several multi-component suicide prevention programs underscore the critical importance of such education to optimize antidepressant prescribing.

While depressive symptoms often indicate suicide risk, no antidepressant has definitively proven to lower this risk in depressed patients. However, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are recommended for treating depressive disorders when suicidal risk is present due to their association with low cerebrospinal fluid serotonin levels, which can contribute to aggression and impulsivity. Nonetheless, SSRIs require vigilant monitoring and management during initial treatment due to the potential emergence of suicidal ideation and behaviors. The FDA has recently mandated a black box warning for prescribing SSRIs to individuals under 25 years old.