There are over 100 different medications whose side effects can cause people to take their lives. These include antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anti-malarial tablets, acne medication and some antibiotics. 

At the moment, callers to suicide prevention services such as The Samaritans are not asked a question that could save their life. 

“Have you recently gone on, changed dose or come off medication that has suicidal ideation as a side effect?”

These are the most dangerous times when taking a drug that can trigger suicide. And a  suicidal reaction can happen within hours. 

Most people are unaware that suicidal ideation (thoughts about killing yourself)  is a lethal side effect of many drugs, particularly drugs that are supposed to help with depression. 

Clinical trial data shows that for at least 2%-5% per cent of people, Antidepressants can have a paradoxical effect and cause people to become suicidal – this even applies to healthy volunteers. 

With over 100 million people worldwide on antidepressants (and this is just one class of drugs that can trigger suicide) a significant number of people are becoming suicidal as a direct result of medication. 

The Samaritans receive over 10,000 calls per day (one call every 10 seconds) and they are just one suicide prevention service operating in the UK and Ireland. What if volunteers for all suicide prevention services around the world were trained to ask callers if they are on a drug that can cause suicide?

As psychiatrist and leading expert  Professor David Healy says “While suicide prevention services cannot be expected to offer medical advice, they could raise the possibility with callers that their problems may be caused by medication. And that if there’s a risk, they should go back to their doctor or seek further medical advice.”

"This” Healy says “could prevent thousands of people around the world from taking their lives and prevent millions from the agony caused by an adverse drug reaction”

This petition is by Antidepressantrisks.org, a campaigning website that is contacted by bereaved relatives of people from all over the world who have died from medication-induced suicide.

As well, we have many stories of people who have made a full recovery once they have realized that it’s a drug that has caused them to want to end their lives. 

Please help Antidepressantrisks.org to persuade suicide-prevention services to ask this vital question. 

Please sign and share this petition to support "The Question That Will Save Lives"