Why do doctors ask if you have suicide thoughts before prescribing an antidepressant?

Evaluation: That question is part of a psychiatric evaluation of depression. Before prescribing an antidepressant, a doctor needs to know what symptoms you have, to decide if you need medication, and to track the effects of treatment.

It is important: People who are depressed frequently have suicidal thoughts and it is very important for the doctor and the patient to understand the nature of them and the seriousness of them. Sometimes inpatient treatment is the treatment of choice. Also sometimes suicidal thoughts can be exacerbated with antidepressant treatment especially in the early phase of treatment.