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In an article from the Associated Press [1] and distributed by them to other press institutions, in this original article advocacy experts of the industry think the drop in use of antidepressants use (just less than 1% for 13- to 19-year-olds) because of FDA warning is to blame for the increase from suicides in 15- to 19-year-olds (from 7.3 in 2003 to 8.2 per 100.000 in 2004 with 18%). They "think" this because of the synchronicity of the statistics as the time periods. I found this way of thinking biased "pseudoscience" because there is no direct evidence supporting it or even an intuitive relation, the only reason I see is an attempt to make a causal connection beneficiary for the industry in an attempt to "repair" their loss of confidence in their products.
As the article from the Associated press very inconspicuously mentioned the information came from "The advocacy group" Mental Health America which gets e.g. funding from the pharmaceutical industry but say they are "the country’s leading nonprofit". What was however conspicuous were the advertisements from antidepressants in the article of the MSNBC [2] profiting from the positive mood they trying to set. "Research" from advocacy "has indicated" that there is a relation of decreasing of suicide and the use of SSRI antidepressants [3] while other studies suggest an increase.[4] It reminds me of studies from the tobacco industry which "proved" tobacco was innocent, while governmental studies proved the opposite. Now we now who were right and who were biased and performed pseudoscience. But the drug industry predators "smell blood" because the NIMH will "examine the impact of FDA actions on use of SSRIs" [5] so it is most probable they will continue their practices for some time.
Statistics Let's make a similar theory about the causal relation between suicides and antidepressants, which may hold longer. Other statistics [6] show also that the suicides in the army rose as well at the same time (from 10-17 per 100.000 in 2003); a nation at war (Iraq March 20, 2003 to present) is not very positively stimulating for depressed persons. This is the analogy: The same statistics used from the CDC [7] show that during the Vietnam War (1959-1975) the suicide rate of 15- to 19-year-olds climbed from 2.7 per 100.000 in 1950 (before the war) to 3.6 per 100.000 in 1960 (during the war) to 5.9 per 100.000 in 1970 (still during the war) to 8.5 per 100.000 in 1980 (just after the war, but still in the cold war) to 11.1 in 1990 (at the end of the cold war, December 1989 Malta summit). It was only after the end of the cold war that suicide rates dropped to 8.0 per 100.000 in 2000 to 7.4 per 100.000 in 2002 and 7.3 in 2003. This time, from 1990 - 2003 seemed to be the calmest period in the USA and the world for a long time.
That there is absolutely no relation of the positive effects of SSRIs and these rates show the statistics of homicide. The same statistics [8] show the synchronicity of homicide and suicide. From 1950 -1990 the rate of suicides of 15- to 19-year-olds climbed from 3.9 to 16.9 per 100.000 and decreased to 9.5 per 100.000 in 2003. Apparently 1990 was a general breaking point in both homicides and suicides. The introduction of the SSRI Prozac (Fluoxetine) end 1987 has no link to decreasing suicides but it has a link to one of the most successful drug campaigns in the history (from Eli Lilly) and they hope to demonstrate their miracle again.
This relation with people experiencing war and depressiveness, suicide and antidepressants is not that strange. One new study use records of 994,000 individuals from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Registry for Depression to determine the relation of suicide and antidepressants.[5]
To explain the effect of SSRI antidepressants the industry claims, let's assume it is partly true that SSRIs decrease some suicide rates. As written regularly at this site, the effect of medicine is not denied, it is their heterogeneousness what causes the problems. This means that if the symptom of suicidality decrease this transfers the problem to another area, let's hope there is not too much relation with homicide.[9] The very thing homeopathy is accused of can be said of the industry: pseudoscience is the best expression in my repertory.
Let further study of the CDC and the NIMH figure out what the real cause was. I wouldn't set my money on the drug makers of SSRI antidepressants performing at Wall street. If SSRI antidepressants don't contribute to lower rates, it means they contribute to higher rates unfortunately.