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Psychologist: Science Shows Prescription Drugs 'Don't Cause People To Be Suicidal'

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Empty bottles for prescription drugs at a pharmacy in Blacksville, W.Va. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Empty bottles for prescription drugs at a pharmacy in Blacksville, W.Va. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

After Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden, was found dead of an apparent suicide last week, his wife Vicky released a statement saying the family believed the anti-anxiety drug Ativan may have pushed him to take his life.

But is there a causal link between prescription medications — antidepressants, or drugs used to treat allergies, asthma and acne — and suicide?

Here & Now's Robin Young talks with Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber of the Columbia Lighthouse Project at Columbia University.

This article was originally published on May 25, 2017.

This segment aired on May 25, 2017.

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