With depression, vets face higher suicide risk

Article here. Excerpt:

'Valenstein's research team collected data on 887,859 VA hospital patients being treated for depression from April 1999 to September 2004. They calculated the suicide rate for several 12-week periods, including after the start of treatment with antidepressants, after treatment changes, and upon discharge from a psychiatric hospital.

"The possibility of increased suicide risks with antidepressant use has received much media attention, and there have been governmental recommendations for close clinical monitoring during these periods,"" Valenstein said. The study confirmed what others have shown: that the first 12 weeks after starting antidepressants is a higher risk period for patients, with 210 suicides per 100,000 person-years, but that the risk returns to normal thereafter.
...
"Although the results of this study are limited, in that they are based on a largely male and older VA population of depressed patients, they still provide an important contribution to an area of extreme importance to the entire mental health system in the United States: suicide prevention," Rego said.'