Serious suicidal behaviour is more frequent on antidepressants in posted adult trials, but the excess is not established after the registered correction

Whether antidepressants raise suicidal behaviour in adults is disputed: the FDA's pooled trials found no increase past young adulthood, and re-analyses of approval data on newer drugs found more suicide attempts. We tested this in the serious adverse events placebo-controlled trials posted to ClinicalTrials.gov, under a registered plan. This version corrects the first, which counted a participant listed under two of an outcome's terms twice. With the posted tables and the trials' public reports, serious suicidal behaviour affected 43 adults on antidepressants and 17 to 18 on placebo (risk ratio 1.86 to 1.96): nominally significant, but at the least favourable count not after the registered correction for two endpoints. Without the trials the re-analyses also used, the excess is similar but less certain. Pediatric trials showed more serious suicidality on antidepressants, as the FDA found. These data lean toward more suicidal behaviour in adults but cannot establish it.