1.
suicidal thinking or behavior
This word was coined by the United States Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) in a public release on October 15, 2004, directing manufacturers of all antidepressantdrugs to revise the labeling for their products to include a boxed warning and expanded warning statements that alert health care providers to an increased risk of suicidality (suicidal thinking and behavior) in children and adolescents being treated with these agents. On May 2, 2007, FDArequired these manufacturers to update the existing black box warning on their products' labeling to include warnings about increased risks of suicidal thinking and behavior, known as suicidality, in young adults ages 18 to 24 during initial treatment (generally the first one to two months).
Many health care providers feel this warning has backfired, as suicide rates in pediatric patients, especially girls, have increased in the 2 years following the introduction of this warning, after a 10 year steady decline. At the same time, the diagnosis of pediatric depression by health care providers has decreased, thus depriving those children and adolescents with depression of not just medical, but non-medical treatment options.
Little Johnnie's suicidality was evident to his playmates, who witnessed him slitting his wrists with a sharp knife.
See suicide, suicidal, depression, antidepressant, homicide
