A new study by researchers at Rutgers University and Columbia University has found a serious link between the use of newer antipsychotic medications and a higher chance of death in adults being treated for depression.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, was led by Tobias Gerhard and his team. It shows that people who add antipsychotic drugs to their treatment may be at greater risk of dying compared to those who choose to take a second antidepressant instead.
Depression is a common mental health problem. While many people get better with antidepressants, others don’t improve with the first medication. In such cases, doctors may either switch the medication or add another drug to boost the effect.
This is called augmentation. It often involves adding a second antidepressant or an antipsychotic drug such as aripiprazole, quetiapine, or olanzapine.
Antipsychotics are sometimes helpful, but they can also cause serious side effects. In older adults with dementia, they are known to increase the risk of death. The researchers wanted to know if this danger also applies to younger adults with depression.
To find out, the team studied the health records of nearly 40,000 people between the ages of 25 and 64 who were enrolled in Medicaid from 2001 to 2010. They also used data from the National Death Index to see which patients died during the study period.
They compared two groups of patients: one group added a newer antipsychotic after their first antidepressant didn’t work, and the other group added a second antidepressant. The results were troubling.
People who took an antipsychotic had a 45% higher chance of dying than those who added a second antidepressant. That means for every 265 people treated with an antipsychotic for a year, one extra person died compared to the antidepressant group.
The study’s authors warn that doctors should be very careful when prescribing antipsychotics for depression.
These drugs are not without risks, and their benefits are often small. In fact, guidelines suggest that patients should first complete a full trial of one antidepressant before trying something new. However, in real life, many patients are given antipsychotics before finishing that first treatment.
It usually takes four to six weeks to see if an antidepressant is working. Jumping to an antipsychotic too soon might put patients in danger without giving the first treatment a fair chance.
This study encourages doctors to consider safer treatments first. Antipsychotics should only be used when other options don’t work and the benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
While the study offers strong evidence, the researchers say that more studies, especially randomized controlled trials funded by public sources, are needed to confirm the results.
For now, this research is an important reminder: when treating depression, it’s critical to balance the risks and benefits carefully. Patients and doctors should work together to find the safest and most effective treatment path.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about cannabis use disorder linked to increased risk of mental diseases and some mental health drugs can cause rapid weight gain.
For more health information, please read studies that one sleepless night can reverse depression for days and scientists find better treatment for older adults with depression.
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