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Picked up the Archives of General Psychiatry issue for June yet? I haven’t, because I had no idea the publication existed until a few minutes ago. But WebMD reports that the edition includes an interesting study by University of Colorado academics like Robert J. Valuck and Anne Libby. The report suggests that FDA warnings circa 2003 about the possible side effects of antidepressants (including elevated risk of suicide) has led to a notable decline in depression diagnoses in general — and the result could be that many people suffering from this ailment are essentially going untreated.
Valuck has had concerns about the ripple effects of the FDA’s actions for several years. Back in 2004, for instance, he was part of a study suggesting that antidepressant use wasn’t responsible for suicide attempts by teens. Nonetheless, the public in general has grown increasingly wary of such medications, putting patients with symptoms of depression in what may seem like a no-win situation. And that’s the last thing someone who’s depressed needs to feel.
Read an abstract of the study by clicking here.
