The use of antidepressants is on the rise, but the safety of antidepressant use has always been in question. This study aims to evaluate published meta-analyses to determine an association between antidepressants and adverse health outcomes.
This study was meta-analyses of observational studies that assessed the safety of antidepressants. Based on the findings, the results were classified into the following criteria: convincing, highly suggestive, suggestive, weak, or insignificant. Two independent reviewers recorded and analyzed the data of the eligible cohort studies. The primary outcome of the study was the incidence of adverse health outcomes associated with antidepressant use.
Of 4,471 studies and 252 full-text articles,45 meta-analyses were selected for this study. The selected analyses described 120 associations, along with data from 1, 012 size estimates. Out of 120 associations, 74 (61.7%) were nominally statistically significant, 52 (43.4%) had large heterogeneity, 17 (14.2%) had small-study effects, and 9 (7.5%) had excess significance bias. The researchers found convincing evidence to support the fact that antidepressant use was associated with a higher risk of suicide and autism spectrum disorders.
The research concluded that antidepressant use in adults was not significantly associated with adverse health outcomes, but relations were discovered with psychiatric disorders.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2751924?resultClick=1
