Death, depression and drugs in the South of France

A study of 7,363 older people (average age 74) in the French cities of Bordeaux, Dijon and Montpellier looked into the links between depression, antidepressant use and mortality. The study found that depressed men using antidepressants had the greatest risk of dying with increasing depression severity leading to increased risk. Among women only severe depression in the absence of treatment was significantly associated with mortality.

Ryan, Joanne ... [et al] - Late-life depression and mortality: influence of gender and antidepressant use British Journal of Psychiatry 192: 12-18