Are Prescription Drugs a Contributing Factor to Suicide?

An Annotated Bibliography

Berger, Fred K. “Suicide and Suicidal Behavior: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” U.S.

National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. 11 Feb. 2012. Web. 21

Feb. 2015.

This article was written by MD, Fred K. Berger. It is mainly informative and

educational. It lists the basic concepts of suicide, the symptoms of suicide, and

treatments for it. This article will be most helpful when explaining the basics of

the underlining of my topic, which is suicide.

Caruso, Kevin. “Suicide Causes.” Suicide.org. Suicide.org, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

The site is the source of a foundation founded by suicide survivor Kevin Caruso.

He created this site to help others that are suicidal, as well as to inform people on

the issue of suicide. In the article, Suicide Causes, he talks about the seriousness

of untreated depression and events that cause depression. Most people look

toward to antidepressants helping them with their depression, but for some people

they cause suicidal thoughts to increase. Even without medicine people are

suicidal. This article will help me explain suicidal thoughts of a depressed person.

Clemmitt, Marcia. “Treating Depression.” CQ Researcher. 26 June 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

Depression is sometimes caused by genetics, but can be caused by stress and

trauma. In 2008, Congress passed the parity laws for increased coverage and

access to more mental health services. But, the majority of the people with severe
 depression are uninsured and rely on public health care programs, which many are

now closing down, due to lack of funding.

Cooper, Mary H. “Prozac.” CQ Researcher. 19 Aug. 1994. Web. 22. Feb. 2015.

Prozac is approved for treating only clinical depression and OCD, but is used for

many other purposes. Many debate whether talk therapy should be used instead of

antidepressants to treat mental illnesses. Prozac is the most common serotonin

drug, and its popularity has stimulated a great increase in awareness of depression

and the seriousness of this disease and that it is treatable. Unlike similar

antidepressants, Prozac does not have any unpleasant side effects, which is why

even people without a mental illness enjoy taking it due to the feeling it gives

them.

"FDA Proposed New Warnings about Suicidal Thinking, Behavior in Young Adults Who Take

Antidepressant Medications.” Food and Drug Administration. 2 May 2007.Web. 22 Feb.

2015.

The article is published on the FDA’s website, therefore I give it a lot of

credibility. The article talks about how the FDA now requires that all

antidepressant drugs label that they increase suicidal thinking and behavior. It also

states other actions the FDA has taken.

Ferris, Marc. “Drug Safety.” CQ Researcher. 11 Mar. 2005. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

The FDA is close to the drug industry and tends to rush drugs to the market before

properly testing them. The reputation for the safety of drugs has been tarnished,
 since drugs that were FDA approved ended up being dangerous to people’s health

and were recalled. This information I do plan on using in my explanation essay.

Hosansky, David. "Youth Suicide." CQ Researcher. 13 Feb. 2004. Web. 22 Feb. 2015. Web.

22 Feb. 2015.

The article covers how common it is for teenagers to consider suicide. It also talks

about how in the 1960s the federal government began to handle the problem of

mental illness. One of the most interesting facts I found in the article was how

some children are genetically predisposed to depression.

Mantel, Barbara. “Mental Health Policy.” CQ Researcher. 10 May 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

One in four American adults suffers from a mental illness than can be diagnosed.

It can take years for people with serious mental illnesses to see a professional for

help, yet some do not want help. Also, the majority says the treatments offered are

unaffordable and is not covered by their insurance.

Mantel, Barbara. “Teen Suicide.” CQ Researcher. 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

Researchers hope to better understand teen suicide so they can identify and treat

suicidal teens in a more effective way. Meds are often affective in treating the

mental health disorders, yet research on whether or not antidepressants work is

scarce. The gist of the article was about if suicide prevention programs actually

work.

Rubin, Rita. "Study: Antidepressant Lift May Be All in Your Head - USATODAY.com." Study:

Antidepressant Lift May Be All in Your Head - USATODAY.com. USA Today, 5 Jan.
 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

The article comes from the newspaper USA Today. It states how antidepressants

were not originally tested for people with mild depression. They are most

effective in treating severe cases of depression. It also explains how doctors

should research more on these medicines when they prescribe them to patients,

and to even choose a method other than medicine to alleviate the patient’s

depression.

Skerrett, Patrick. “Suicide Often Not Preceded by Warnings.” Harvard Health Blog

RSS. Harvard Health, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2015

The source is from a health blog written and published by Harvard University.

The Arthur, Patrick Skerrett, gives mostly informative information. He talks about

the impulsiveness of suicide and how most of the time suicides are not planned.

He even states how some suicides are thought of beforehand, which the person

sometimes gives warnings.

“Suicide & Antidepressants.” DrugWatch. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

This article is on a website sponsored by the Peterson Firm, who specializes in

law suits and court cases pertaining the drugs and prescriptions. The article speaks

on the most common antidepressant drugs and their link to suicide. It also

contains a timeline of changes to the labeling of these medications between 1990

and 2010. This article show how antidepressant are meant to decrease the

symptoms of depression, yet for many people they tend to have the opposite effect

and increase suicidal thoughts.

Naja Isabelle Webb

Professor Jenkins

English 111 Essay 1 Final Draft

4 May 2015

Do Antidepressants and Stimulants Lead to Suicide?

“Depression is the number one reason students drop out of school or die by suicide.”

-Michael Kerr

The study of the human brain has been occurring since ancient times, and human

behaviors always bring about the questions of “Why” and “How”. These unanswered questions

are the reason behind the development of the science of psychology. Psychology is the scientific

study of the brain and a person’s mental behavior (Richardson). It is a very large and diverse

field of study which includes thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and actions. Psychologists have been

conducting a wide variety of research experiments on human behaviors for several decades, yet

there is one human behavior that is still unable to be understood—suicide. Suicide can be

triggered by a natural cause like a mental illness, and now many believe it can be caused by

antidepressants and stimulants.

“Suicide is the act of taking one’s own life on purpose. Suicidal behavior is any action

that could cause a person to die” (“Suicide and Suicidal”). On Caruso’s website, suicide.org, he

states that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death of Americans in general, and the 3rd leading

cause of death for people ages 15-24. Also, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America,
reported that 80% of college students experience daily stress, and according to Tartakovsky, 75%

of adults with an anxiety disorder acquired it by 22 in college. It is no secret that college is a

stressful time for students. It is a time when they are trying to find themselves along with

keeping up with school, working, dealing with social problems, and even coping with mental

illnesses. An alarming 64% of people who attend college with a mental illness drop out, and 50%

of those persons did not receive help, according to a survey conducted by the National Alliance

on Mental Illness (NAMI). People commit suicide for numerous amounts of reasons, but most

suicidal people have a mental illness. People that are suicidal tend to have anxiety problems such

as obsessive compulsion disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or

psychiatric problems such as bipolar disorder schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and

major depression.

Depression, the most common mental illness, is sometimes caused by genetics but it can

also be caused by stress and trauma. It is estimated that 44% of college students suffer from

depression, and 19% consider suicide to end their stress and problems (Kerr). So in an attempt

to help more people access help for their mental health, in 2008, Congress passed the parity law

for increased coverage and access to more mental health services. Yet, the majority of people

with severe depression are uninsured and rely on public health care programs, which many are

now starting to close.

Along with Congress, the FDA has also been trying to make an imprint on helping people

with mental health issues. It is not a secret that the FDA is very close to the drug industry, and

they have been known to rush drugs to the market. Their reputation and the reputation for the

safety of drugs has been steadily tarnished over the years. The most popular antidepressants such

as Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor, Celexa, and Prozac, which were once approved safe by the FDA, have
caused many deaths and have had several recalls. Therefore in 2004, with the help of the

Pediatric Subcommittee of the Anti-Infective Drug Advisory and the Psychopharmacology Drug

Advisory Committee, the FDA made it mandatory that all drug manufacturers include whether or

not the drug increases a person’s suicidal thoughts and/or tendencies on labels. Yet, this has still

not swayed many people away from taking these antidepressant drugs and even stimulants. Many

people, especially high school and college students, who do not have a prescription for these

antidepressants and stimulants, still manage to gain access to them. Even though they do not

have a mental illness, multiple college students choose to take antidepressant and stimulant

prescriptions to help cope with the stress of school and anxiety.

Stimulants, also known as uppers, skippy, black beauties, and the smart drug, are drugs

that can temporarily increase alertness and mood. Stimulants include not only prescription

medications, but also caffeine, nicotine, and the street drugs cocaine and amphetamine. Although

each stimulant has their own unique properties, all stimulants work by increasing the dopamine

levels in the brain (a chemical that is associated with pleasure, movement, and attention), and

norepinephrine levels in the brain (a chemical that is released in response to stress). When too

much dopamine and norepinephrine are in the brain, stimulants can cause serious health

problems such as an increase in blood pressure, an increase in heart rate, lack of sleep, and loss

of appetite which can lead to malnutrition. Sometimes they can even lead to more serious

problems such as cardiovascular complications, which can lead to strokes (Drug Facts). The

most common stimulants Adderall (amphetamine) and Ritalin (Methylphenidate) are used to

treat mainly ADHD, but some stimulants can also be used to treat other conditions such as

anxiety and nerve pain.

 Antidepressants have significant limitations compared to stimulants. Antidepressants are

meant to relieve the symptoms of depression, and many people that take them find it easier to go

on with their day more productively. Antidepressants work by stimulating the activity of

neurotransmitters in the brain. “Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that cross the space between

one brain cell (neuron) and the next to enable communication between them” (Somers). It has

been researched that suicidal thoughts can emerge within the first few weeks of beginning an

antidepressant, especially if they had an adequate level of serotonin in their brain prior to taking

the antidepressant. Serotonin is the brains’ most important biochemical, and it controls

everything from your appetite to your mood swings. “When antidepressant drugs raise serotonin

to an excitotoxin level, the brain reacts in ways similar to mental illness” (Veracity). Before

beginning an antidepressant, the person can already have a sufficient amount of serotonin within

their system. Once they began taking the antidepressant, their brain begins to produce too much

serotonin and they begin to have strange thoughts such as suicide. This is why antidepressants

were originally created to be used by people who have severe depression or anxiety, because

their serotonin levels would even out with the use of the antidepressant. On the other hand,

people who suffer from mild depression have adequate serotonin levels, but once they take an

antidepressant their serotonin levels can skyrocket.

Due to their euphoric effects, many college students are turning to stimulants and

antidepressants to help them cope with the stressors of school, and many students are trying to

make a quick buck from this new epidemic. Sixty-two percent of students that have been

prescribed a valid prescription for ADHD and other mental illnesses tend to sell the medications

to fellow classmates. As stated in the article, “A Rising Epidemic”, “Between 1993 and 2005, the

proportion of college students using prescription drugs went up dramatically: ...and use of
stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall increased by 93 percent.” Since these prescriptions have

gained more accessibility to college students over the last few years, coincidentally the numbers

of suicides that are believed to be caused by stimulants and antidepressants have increased

The youth and the future leaders of our country should not have to face these stressors

and turn to prescription drugs for help. Other alternatives than prescriptions should be offered to

students and programs discouraging the use of prescription drugs should be put into place.

Limiting the access and use of antidepressants and stimulants would greatly decrease the number

of deaths and suicides we see amongst adolescents and young adult today.
 Works Cited

"A Rising Epidemic on College Campuses: Prescription Drug Abuse." Clinton Foundation.

Clinton Foundation, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.

Caruso, Kevin. “Suicide Causes.” Suicide.org, n.d. Web. 1 Mar 2014.

"DrugFacts: Stimulant ADHD Medications: Methylphenidate and Amphetamines." DrugFacts:

Stimulant ADHD Medications: Methylphenidate and Amphetamines. 1 Jan. 2014. Web.

14 Apr. 2015.

"Facts | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA." Facts |Anxiety and

Depression Association of America, ADAA. ADAA, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Mar.

2015.

Gruttadaro, Darcy, and Dana Crudo. "College Students Speak: A Survey Report on Mental

Health." Nami.org. NAMI, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

Kerr, Michael. "Depression and College Students." Healthline. Healthline Networks Inc., 29

Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.

Richardson, Deborah South. “Psychology.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2013. Web.

1 Mar. 2014.

Somers, Nathan P. "Information on Anti-Depressant Medication." Information on

Anti-Depressant Medication. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.

“Suicide and Suicidal Behavior: MedlinePLus Medical Enycyclopedia.” U.S. National

Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 11 Feb. 2012. Web. 21

Feb. 2015.

Tartakovsky, Margarita. "Depression and Anxiety Among College Students." PsychCentral.com.

2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Veracity, Dani. "Experts Say Antidepressant Drugs Cause Suicides Instead of Preventing Them.”

Natural News 10 Apr. 2006. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.