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Martin B. Keller, MD; Philip W. Lavori, PhD; Jean Endicott, PhD; Gerald L. Klerman, MD; William Coryell, MD; Jan A. Fawcett, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital Boston

JAMA. 1983;249(14):1826.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

We heartily concur with Dr Lundberg's call for caution and data concerning the risk of depressive patients using antidepressants as suicidal agents (1982; 248:1879). The development of safer and more effective antidepressant drugs should help in reducing this risk. Meanwhile, we echo Dr Lundberg's warning that the currently available antidepressants are potent toxins when taken in overdose, and we strongly agree that patients who are at active risk of suicide must be treated carefully. Rather than be handed a "bottle of poison," patients who are actively suicidal should almost always be hospitalized and have any potentially lethal medication dispensed in safe dosages.

We agree that no study has quantified the decrease in self-destructive attempts related to the efficacy of antidepressants. However, we think it is reasonable to infer from the studies that demonstrate the efficacy of these drugs in alleviating depression that a sizable proportion of untreated . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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