ReviewThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2005
Isotretinoin, depression and suicide: a review of the evidence.
Review in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Oral isotretinoin for acne.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Acne vulgaris.BMJ clinical evidence · 2011Pooled it
- Acne vulgaris.BMJ clinical evidence · 2008Pooled it
- Highlighting Ophthalmic Adverse Effects Associated with Isotretinoin.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Acne management in Norway: GP and dermatologist prescriptions (2012-2019): a nationwide overview.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Review
- Isotretinoin and neuropsychiatric side effects: Continued vigilance is needed.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2021Article
- Convergence of distinct signaling pathways on synaptic scaling to trigger rapid antidepressant action.Cell reports · 2021Article
- Review
- Isotretinoin in Acne Vulgaris Complicated by Underlying Major Depression: A Case Report and Review of Literature.Case reports in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Article
- Can oral isotretinoin be safely initiated and monitored in primary care? A case series.Irish journal of medical science · 2017Article
- Review
- Retinoic acid and affective disorders: the evidence for an association.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2012Review
- Effective monitoring of isotretinoin safety in a pediatric dermatology population: a novel "patient symptom survey" approach.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2011Article
- Review
- [Systemic acne therapy].Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift fur Dermatologie, Venerologie, und verwandte Gebiete · 2005Review
- Drug repurposing of dermatologic medications to treat coronavirus disease 2019: Science or fiction?Clinics in dermatologyArticle
- Decrease in "Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression" Following Isotretinoin Therapy in Acne: An Open-Label Prospective Study.Indian journal of dermatologyArticle
- Low-dose isotretinoin therapy and blood lipid abnormality: A case series with sixty patients.Journal of family medicine and primary careArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
There is currently considerable controversy regarding a proposed causal relationship between the use of isotretinoin and depression and suicide. A search was made of the MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsychINFO databases using the search terms 'isotretinoin', 'depression' and 'suicide'. Despite numerous case reports linking isotretinoin to depression, suicidal ideation and suicide, there is, as yet, no clear proof of an association. While isotretinoin, used to treat acne vulgaris, has not been demonstrated to be associated with depression or suicide, the possibility of a relatively rare idiosyncratic adverse effect remains. GPs have a role in the clinical application of these findings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
15720936PMC1463189What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.