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The economic recession is affecting not just the marketplace, but also the mental health of thousands of Americans.

Between 2008 and 2010, the rate of suicide in the United States increased 1 percent for every 1 percent that the unemployment rate increased, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. This translated to about 1,500 additional suicides every year.

Many people facing joblessness and struggling with depression turn to antidepressants to help cope. Antidepressants can improve a person’s mood, but also can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of suicide, and birth defects if taken during pregnancy.

Suicide and Unemployment

Researchers from Stanford and Cambridge universities studied data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Comparing two time periods — 1999-2007 and 2008-2010 — they discovered that suicides increased at an annual rate of 0.12 suicides per 100,000 people during the first time period, to 0.51 suicides per 100,000 people during the recession.

“Suicide is a rare outcome of mental illness but this means that these data are likely the most visible indicator of major depression and anxiety disorder among people living through the financial crisis,” said Aaron Reeves, a sociology researcher at the University of Cambridge.

Others have noted this dangerous relationship between financial hardship and mental health. The Congressional Budget Office reports that lengthy periods of unemployment are “correlated with deteriorating mental and physical health.”

Risks Associated with Antidepressants

Turning to antidepressants is one way people battle depression. Today, more than one in 10 Americans takes an antidepressant. Antidepressants can alleviate symptoms, giving people the ability to get out of bed, complete tasks, and attend school or work.

However, antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIS) — including Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine) and Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) — actually put people at an increased risk of suicidal behavior at the beginning of treatment.

In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered all manufacturers of antidepressants to include a black-box warning on their medications, informing consumers of the possibility of increased suicidal thoughts or behavior.

Risks for Women

Depression poses a particular threat for women, as it occurs with 70 percent higher frequency than men. And antidepressants can cause serious birth defects if taken during pregnancy, which leaves pregnant women with depression in a difficult position.

Antidepressant use during pregnancy is associated with an 8 to 16 percent increased risk of miscarriage and a 60 percent increased risk of preterm birth. It can also lead to persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), which can lead to brain damage and death. Neural tube defects have also occurred in infants of mothers who took SSRIs during pregnancy.