Over the past 2 years there has been a barrage of news stories about the safety of popular psychopharmaceuticals. SSRIs (antidepressants) have been the lead target particularly after there was some evidence that risk of suicide may increase for a small number of people taking the medication. Newer contributions include a story this week in the British Medical Journal, which argues that the drug approval process is inherantly flawed and favors big drug makers. Furthermore, this doubt is being used as part of the Andrea Yates re-trial. The bottom line is that for the vast majority of people the drugs are safe, but like any medication there are side-effects, and some individuals are at risk for more serious side-effects. My view is that much of the bad press based on the few limited cases is a negative reaction by the psychological and psychiatric communities to the aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns and disease mongering done by the drug companies, as well as the view that many of the medications are significantly over-prescribed particularly for off-label uses (not FDA approved). The key for the person consdiering taking an SSRI (or other medication) is to make an informed decision while consulting with your treatment provider and other supports.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 11 Jul 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.