Antidepressants and suicide – it’s complicated…

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Rina Dutta and Alina Cuhraja summarise a network meta-analysis on antidepressants, suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviours, which suggests that SSRIs may reduce suicidal ideation in the short-term, but this is not sustained even to week 8 of treatment.

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Lithium is best at decreasing the risk of depression-related hospitalisation in bipolar disorder, according to new cohort study

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This Swedish cohort study, blogged by Duncan Swiffen, is yet more evidence for lithium as an excellent treatment for people with bipolar disorder. This time it comes out on top in terms of preventing depression-related hospitalisation.

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Maintenance or discontinuation of antidepressants for depression? Findings from the ANTLER trial

For every 6 people stopping their medication there was one additional relapse compared to those who maintained their antidepressant treatment, suggesting that stopping medication has an increased risk of relapse.

Raphael Rifkin-Zybutz and Sameer Jauhar summarise the recently published ANTLER trial, which explores whether antidepressant maintenance can reduce the risk of relapse in depression.

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In adults with major depression, antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide

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Douglas Badenoch explores a meta-analysis of follow-up data from clinical trials of antidepressants, which found a small but significant increase in suicide risk.

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SSRIs and suicidality: effects of SSRIs on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression

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Rina Dutta and Patrick McLaughlin summarise a new study looking at the effects of SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression.

This study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry supports the conclusion that SSRIs remain a safe and effective treatment in depression for those aged 18 and over.

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Antidepressants for depression in schizophrenia: when good-enough evidence is good enough

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Carmine Pariante is positive about a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of antidepressants for the treatment of depression in schizophrenia.

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Time to stop prescribing antidepressants to young people with depression?

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Andrew Shepherd considers the implications of a recent network meta-analysis of the efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants for children and adolescents with depression.

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Adding antidepressants to antipsychotics in schizophrenia: do they work, for what, and are they safe?

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Alex Langford explores the emerging findings from a recent meta-analysis looking at the efficacy and safety of antidepressants added to antipsychotics for people with schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like psychosis.

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Can a machine learning approach help us predict what specific treatments work best for individuals with depression?

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Marcus Munafo explores a recent study that uses a machine learning approach across two trials (STARD*D and CO-MED) to try and predict treatment outcomes (primarily focusing on the antidepressant citalopram) for depression.

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Combined methylphenidate and citalopram may help older people with depression recover faster

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Lisa Burscheidt summarises a recent randomised controlled trial of combined methylphenidate and citalopram for depression in older people, which presents promising but limited findings.

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