Patients On Antidepressants Can Be Tested For Signs Of Suicidal Thoughts
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185074.php

• a small subset of individuals taking these drugs can actually experience a worsening of mood, and even thoughts of suicide.
• Now, UCLA researchers have developed a non-invasive biomarker, or indicator, that may serve as a type of early warning system.
• report that by using quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG), a non-invasive measurement of electrical activity in the brain, they were able to observe a sharp reduction of activity in a specific brain region in individuals who proved susceptible to thoughts of suicide - within 48 hours of the start of treatment.
• shown that between 8 and 14 percent of depressed patients develop thoughts of suicide while taking the most common forms of depression drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).
• This study suggests, for the first time, a link between worsening suicidality and specific changes in brain function while on these medications.
• The drop occurred in the midline and right-frontal sections of the brain, areas known to control emotions.
• Importantly, changes in this biomarker did not predict worsening suicidal thoughts in the placebo-treated subjects, so the results suggest 

  that the biomarker specifically detected medication-related worsening only.”