Dr David Healy was in correspondence with the MCA by November 4th 1999 about the suicide issue and voicing concerns about the number of SSRIs being prescribed to children and adolescence,
“Both of these points, it seems to me, must be of concern to you. The issues are quite different to any problems that were ever raised in relation to benzodiazepine or SSRI dependence, where there is considerable ambiguity involved in deciding what constitutes dependence. In this case there are very clear internal company documents and a pattern of behaviour, possibly stemming from legal advice, that is inconsistent with prescription only arrangements.
Based on RCT evidence from a number of companies, epidemiological studies and other sources, at a conservative estimate I believe one person per week has killed themselves in the UK for every week that Prozac has been available over and above the number that would have done so if the same patients had been left untreated and one person per day has attempted suicide with unknown consequences for their future risk of suicide. I would be happy to go through this evidence with you, if this would help and indeed I would be happy to have the error of my ways pointed out if anyone can see a problem with my figures or logic.
Against the background outlined above, I feet particularly impelled to act as I am doing now in writing to you having been the convenor and author of a report on childhood psychopharmacology for the British Association for Psychopharmacology, which supported the prescription of psychotropic drugs to children and teenagers in appropriate circumstances and with appropriate monitoring. This document has not led directly to increased rates -of prescribing of SSRIs to adolescents in this country but it has done nothing to put a brake on what has been a dramatic increase in' recent years. Unfortunately, I now find my in-tray filling with files on teenagers committing suicide within a week or two of commencing Prozac. It is this that makes the problem difficult to walk away from.”
“Both of these points, it seems to me, must be of concern to you. The issues are quite different to any problems that were ever raised in relation to benzodiazepine or SSRI dependence, where there is considerable ambiguity involved in deciding what constitutes dependence. In this case there are very clear internal company documents and a pattern of behaviour, possibly stemming from legal advice, that is inconsistent with prescription only arrangements.
Based on RCT evidence from a number of companies, epidemiological studies and other sources, at a conservative estimate I believe one person per week has killed themselves in the UK for every week that Prozac has been available over and above the number that would have done so if the same patients had been left untreated and one person per day has attempted suicide with unknown consequences for their future risk of suicide. I would be happy to go through this evidence with you, if this would help and indeed I would be happy to have the error of my ways pointed out if anyone can see a problem with my figures or logic.
Against the background outlined above, I feet particularly impelled to act as I am doing now in writing to you having been the convenor and author of a report on childhood psychopharmacology for the British Association for Psychopharmacology, which supported the prescription of psychotropic drugs to children and teenagers in appropriate circumstances and with appropriate monitoring. This document has not led directly to increased rates -of prescribing of SSRIs to adolescents in this country but it has done nothing to put a brake on what has been a dramatic increase in' recent years. Unfortunately, I now find my in-tray filling with files on teenagers committing suicide within a week or two of commencing Prozac. It is this that makes the problem difficult to walk away from.”
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