Posted by SLS on September 22, 2015, at 0:06:34
In reply to Re: Young people on SSRI's commit more crimes?, posted by baseball55 on September 21, 2015, at 20:57:49
> There is also the question of causality. Are the young people on SSRI ON SSRIs because of an increase in irritability, anger and other, non-typical presentations of depression? If so, would the incidence of crime be EVEN HIGHER if they were not given SSRI's?
Yes. I was thinking that as well, but I haven't looked at the study closely enough. It certainly deserves attention. I like the way subject is treated by the authors. I wish I had a better understanding of statistics.
I think the following quote indicates the authors' desire to maintain objectivity:
"These findings show an association between SSRIs and violent crime that varies by age group. They cannot, however, prove that taking SSRIs actually causes an increase in violent crime among young people because the analytical approach used does not fully account for time-varying risk factors such as symptom severity or alcohol misuse that might affect an individuals risk of committing a violent crime (residual confounding). In addition, some people who committed a violent crime might have subsequently taken SSRIs to cope with the anxiety and stress of arrest (reverse causation). The lack of a significant association between SSRIs and violent crime among most people taking SSRIs is reassuring; the association between violent crimes and SSRIs among individuals younger than 25 years is worrying. However, this finding needs confirming in studies with other designs undertaken in other settings. If confirmed, warnings about the increased risk of violent behavior among young people when being treated with SSRIs might be needed. But, note the researchers, it might be inappropriate to restrict the use of SSRIs in this age group because increases in adverse outcomes associated with poorly treated depression, such as suicide, might outweigh the public health benefit accruing from decreases in violence."
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1082509
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150901/msgs/1082795.html