Editor—Cipriani et al in their editorial make many sound points about the risks and benefits of antidepressants.1 However, they say that up to 15% of patients with unipolar depression eventually commit suicide. This implies that 15% is a reasonable estimate, rather than a gross overestimate based on very unrepresentative samples.
How many casual readers will be misled by this statement, which reinforces a stubbornly persistent myth?
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Cipriani A, Barbui C, Geddes JR. Suicide, depression, and antidepressants. BMJ 2005;330: 373-4. (19 February.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]