Tags: antidepressants | death | risk.

Do Antidepressants Raise Death Risk?

Do Antidepressants Raise Death Risk?
(Generate iStock)

Friday, 15 September 2017 12:31 PM EDT

Taking antidepressants could increase the risk of an early death, a controversial new study suggests.

Researchers with McMaster University in Canada analyzed the results from 17 previous studies, including nearly 380,000 people, and found a 9 percent increased risk of death among those who took antidepressants, the Daily Mail reports.

Although that slight increase was "not statistically significant," the scientists said, a deeper analysis found depressed people without heart disease who took antidepressants are 33 percent more likely to die than those who did not.

But psychiatrists disputed the findings of the controversial study, arguing antidepressants have been safely used for years and offer a vital lifeline for people with no other options.

Studies show that untreated depression increases the risk of suicide and other life-threatening health problems. But research findings have been inconclusive on whether antidepressants or the depressive symptoms they are designed to treat are behind the increased risk of premature death in those who take such drugs.

Even so, critics suggest many people taking antidepressants may not actually need them, with scientific studies showing psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other treatment approaches are as effective as drugs, or more so. But  doctors routinely prescribe the pills because of long waiting lists for therapy.

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Health-News
Antidepressants have been linked to an increased risk of an early death in a controversial new study that psychiatrists say is misleading.
antidepressants, death, risk.
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2017-31-15
Friday, 15 September 2017 12:31 PM
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