Nation's Largest Patient Group Focused On Depression Responds To New FDA Recommendations On Antidepressants

Main Category: Depression
Also Included In: Bipolar
Article Date: 16 Dec 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) today announced its opposition to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent recommendation to extend black box warnings on antidepressants that suggest that young adults up to the age of 25 are at an increased risk of suicide when they take the medications.

DBSA and other mental health advocacy groups have expressed concern about the impact of extending the warnings to adults, which had previously been limited to use of antidepressants in children.

"As an organization we have consistently called for research data on the impact of antidepressants so that patients and their doctors can make informed decisions," said Gloria Pope, DBSA's director of advocacy and public policy. "But the recent recommendation to the FDA may have a chilling effect on the legitimate use of antidepressants by young adults, ultimately increasing the risk of suicide for people under the age of 25."

Depression affects approximately 34 million adult Americans in the lifetime. Despite the availability of effective treatments that include antidepressants, fewer than half of Americans with the illness seek treatment, often because of stigma and limited access to care.

According to Pope, DBSA strongly urges the FDA to reconsider this recommendation.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the nation's leading patient-directed organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder. The organization, which has more than 1,000 support groups nationwide, fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically based tools and information.

Assisted by a 65-member scientific advisory board comprised of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field of mood disorders, DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments, and discover a cure.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
http://www.dbsalliance.org

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