A recent study by researchers at Rutgers University and Columbia University has found a serious link between certain mental health medications and a higher risk of death in adults with depression. The study looked at newer antipsychotic drugs, which are sometimes used when standard antidepressants don’t work well enough on their own.
Depression is a common mental health condition that affects many people around the world. Doctors usually treat it with antidepressant medication, and for many people, this helps improve their mood and daily life. However, some people do not get better after taking one antidepressant.
In those cases, doctors may try a second approach—either switching to another antidepressant or adding a second medication to help boost the effects. One common add-on treatment is a second antidepressant, but sometimes doctors prescribe newer antipsychotic medications instead.
These newer antipsychotics include drugs like aripiprazole (Abilify), quetiapine (Seroquel), and olanzapine (Zyprexa). Although they can help some patients, these drugs are known to cause serious side effects.
In fact, they’ve been linked to a higher risk of death in older people with dementia. What was unclear until now was whether that risk also applies to younger adults who take these medications for depression.
To answer this question, the researchers studied health records from nearly 40,000 adults between the ages of 25 and 64 who were enrolled in Medicaid, a public health insurance program in the U.S. The data came from the years 2001 to 2010 and included information from the National Death Index, which helped the researchers track who had died and when.
The people in the study were split into two groups. One group had added a newer antipsychotic to their treatment after their first antidepressant didn’t work. The other group had added a second antidepressant instead. The results were clear: people in the antipsychotic group were 45% more likely to die during the study period than those in the antidepressant group.
To put it simply, for every 265 people treated with an antipsychotic drug for one year, there was one extra death compared to those who used a second antidepressant.
This finding is important because it suggests that these drugs may be riskier than many people—and even some doctors—realize. The benefits of newer antipsychotic medications for depression are relatively small, and some experts have already questioned how effective they truly are.
This new research adds another reason to be cautious about using them, especially when safer options might be available.
One troubling point raised by the researchers is that many patients are given antipsychotic medications without first giving a single antidepressant enough time to work.
Antidepressants can take four to six weeks to show their full effects, but in some cases, patients are switched to stronger drugs too soon. This rush to prescribe antipsychotics goes against official treatment guidelines and the drug instructions provided by manufacturers.
The researchers say that doctors should be very careful when deciding to prescribe these medications. Antipsychotics should only be used after trying safer options first. This is especially true because the side effects—including the increased risk of death—are serious.
While this study was large and carefully done, the authors say more research is still needed. They recommend a randomized controlled trial, which is the gold standard in medical research, to confirm their results. This kind of study would give doctors and patients more solid information to base treatment decisions on.
For now, this research sends a clear message: when treating depression, it’s important to think carefully about the medications being used. Doctors and patients should have open conversations about the risks and benefits of each option. In many cases, sticking with antidepressants a little longer or trying a second one may be a safer and more effective path.
If you care about health, please read studies that scientists find a core feature of depression and this metal in the brain strongly linked to depression.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about drug for mental health that may harm the brain, and results showing this therapy more effective than ketamine in treating severe depression.
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