Antidepressants Linked to Lower Suicide in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is known to have a marked increased lifetime risk for suicide.

There has been limited study of the effect of specific interventions in the risk of suicidal behavior and completed suicide.

A recent study has added to our understanding of this topic using data from the Collaborative Depression Study or CDS.

The CDS is a large longitudinal stud funded by the NIMH that enrolled a large sample of subjects with bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder and unipolar depression.

Subject were followed intensely after a research diagnostic assessment every six months. Follow up interviews including information about antidepressant treatment, mood state, suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors.  

This was a significantly ill cohort. Twenty-four subjects committed suicide during the five year period of follow up.

Subjects receiving drug treatment with bipolar disorder had statistically lower suicidal behavior (but not in the unipolar group). The estimated level of reduction of suicidal behavior by diagnosis group was:

• Bipolar I disorder: 54% reduction (95% confidence interval 31% to 69
• %)
• Bipolar II disorder: 35% reduction (95% confidence interval 1% to 57%)
• Unipolar disorder: 12% reduction (95% confidence interval 36% reduction to 22% increase)

The authors note some clinicians are less likely to use antidepressants in bipolar depression due to concern about inducing mania or more rapid cycling. They note their study supports a link between antidepressant use and reduced suicidality in bipolar disorder.

Many clinicians recommend chronic use of mood stabilizers with intermittent antidepressant use in bipolar disorder during depressive episode only. This may reduce potential risk for the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder. The authors note some previous studies support a specific role for the mood stabilizing drug lithium to reduce suicide risk in bipolar disorder.

The psychopharmacologic treatment of bipolar disorder is a complicated process that needs to be customized to individual patient comorbidity, tolerance, medical comorbidity and past treatment response. Patients with bipolar disorder are best managed in a setting of expert medical care, family support and longitudinal monitoring. Patients are best served when they make decisions about drug treatment options in this type of setting.

The CDS cohort study was done prior to the evolution of the use of the novel antidepressant drug treatment lamotrigine in bipolar disorder.  Lamotrigine is an antiepileptic drug that is increasing used in bipolar disorder and is an FDA approved drug for maintenance therapy. The FDA also has approved aripiprazole and the combination of olanzapine plus fluoxetine for the treatment of depression in bipolar disorder.

Readers with more interest in the above study can access the free full-text manuscript by clicking on the PMID link in the citation below.

Slide showing symptoms in the manic phase of bipolar disorder is an original slide from the author's files. 

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Leon AC, Fiedorowicz JG, Solomon DA, Li C, Coryell WH, Endicott J, Fawcett J, & Keller MB (2014). Risk of suicidal behavior with antidepressants in bipolar and unipolar disorders. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 75 (7), 720-7 PMID: 25093469