Officials at the Food and Drug Administration acknowledged on Monday that children who use antidepressants have an increased risk of suicidal behavior.

At a two-day meeting in the Washington area, officials cited studies confirming the risk. Two to 3 percent of children will become suicidal after using the drugs, not because of underlying conditions, and children who take antidepressants had about twice the risk of developing suicidal behavior or thoughts, the FDA said.

The FDA had been reluctant to acknowledge a link, saying an earlier study was not reliable.

Get the Story:
FDA Confirms Antidepressants Raise Children's Suicide Risk (The Washington Post 9/14)
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F.D.A. Finds Drugs Linked to Suicide (The New York Times 9/14)
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Relevant Documents:
Joint Meeting of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Pediatric Advisory Committee (FDA)

Relevant Links:
Food and Drug Administration - http://www.fda.gov

Related Stories:
Study links antidepressants to suicide in children (08/10)