How FDA warnings on antidepressants backfired

+ Canada in crisis US Edition - Today's top story: After the FDA issued warnings about antidepressants, youth suicides rose and mental health care dropped [View in browser]( US Edition | 15 February 2022 [The Conversation]( Anyone who has sought out treatment for depression in a loved one – or for themself – can relate to the fears and uncertainty surrounding the possible outcomes. Could medication make things worse? What about unexpected side effects? When it comes to adolescents, these types of decisions can feel even weightier. So when the FDA began issuing warnings in 2003 that young people could face an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior after taking antidepressants – based on tenuous research – it had a chilling effect on all mental health care, including the use of such medication for adolescents and young adults with depression. Stephen Soumerai and Ross Koppel, who research the effects of health policies on patient safety, have documented nearly two decades’ worth of data showing how these messages, which were intended to prevent harm, did just the reverse: They contributed to a reduction in [detection of suicidal behavior and a dramatic rise in youth suicides](. Also today: - [Where are the statues of Black Americans?]( - [Power plants and the mercury poisoning risk]( - [Novelist Toshio Mori’s battle to be published]( Amanda Mascarelli Senior Health and Medicine Editor The link between antidepressant use and increases in suicidal thoughts or behaviors among treated youth is unproven. FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images [After the FDA issued warnings about antidepressants, youth suicides rose and mental health care dropped]( Stephen Soumerai, Harvard University; Ross Koppel, University at Buffalo A well-intentioned public health message has had serious negative impacts on the treatment of young people for depression. Politics + Society - [Old statues of Confederate generals are slowly disappearing – will monuments honoring people of color replace them?]( Frederick Gooding, Jr., Texas Christian University With a few notable exceptions, public monuments across the United States are overwhelmingly white and male. A movement is slowly growing to tell a more inclusive history of the American experience. - [Canada in crisis: Why Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act to end trucker protests]( Jack L. Rozdilsky, York University, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. 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Science + Technology - [Trust comes when you admit what you don’t know – lessons from child development research]( Tamar Kushnir, Duke University; David Sobel, Brown University; Mark Sabbagh, Queen's University, Ontario People often try to seem confident and certain in their message so it will be trusted and acted upon. But when information is in flux, research suggests. you should be open about what you don’t know. Environment + Energy - [How poisonous mercury gets from coal-fired power plants into the fish you eat]( Gabriel Filippelli, IUPUI The Biden administration is moving to revive mercury limits for coal-fired power plants. A scientist explains mercury’s health risks and the role power plants play. From our international editions - [Yes, words can harm young trans people. 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