Antidepressant Use Tied to Poorer Driving

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These deficits weren't found among those who were taking antidepressants but had low depression scores. In fact, that group was found to execute their driving tasks with a precision equal to that of those not on medication.

Dannewitz said that her future work would involve patients who are diagnosed with clinical depression but not on antidepressants. In this way, her team can determine whether it's the depression, or medications used to treat it, that are at the root of the concentration problems.

"More research needs to be done, of course," she said. "And I wouldn't want to instill fear in drivers. But I think that perhaps individuals who are taking these medications should just be aware of the fact that they may cause concentration problems and impair reaction time."

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Dannewitz also stressed that, "this issue is not just a question for drivers, because the cognitive skills needed for driving are also needed for a lot of other skills."

Dr. Bernard Carroll, scientific director of the Pacific Behavioral Research Foundation based in Carmel, California, agreed that it's too early to draw specific conclusions from the study. But he said the findings weren't surprising.

"There is already a very deep literature about subtle impairments of higher cognitive function associated with clinical depression itself, apart from medications," he noted. "I would add that, in any case, medication package inserts routinely warn patients about a whole host of issues when starting a course of psychotropic drugs, including warning against the handling of machinery, driving, or engaging in any occupation in which you can be injured. So, to that extent, this concern isn't new."

More information

For more on antidepressants, head to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

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