Finasteride…has long been suspected of causing severe neuropsychiatric reactions, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality… Concerns about depression from finasteride were raised in several studies as early as 2002. Between the years 2017 and 2023, 4 independent analyses of adverse event reporting systems and 4 studies using data mining of healthcare records indicated a significant increase in the risk for depression, anxiety, and/or suicidal behavior… There has been, therefore, a two-decade delay in the realization of the incidences and the gravity of neuropsychiatric effects… Over 20 years worldwide, hundreds of thousands may have endured depression, and hundreds may have died by suicide.
Brezis M. Failing Public Health Again? Analytical Review of Depression and Suicidality From Finasteride, September 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.therap.2025.09.004 [The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry]