system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do so many prescription meds have a side effect of "suicidal thoughts"?
gpt
Pharmaceutical companies are required to report any side effect that occurs in any patient taking the drug during a clinical trial, whether they think that adverse event is related to the drug or not. Some clinical trials can last for a year or more. In addition, many clinical trials are for medications that treat serious illnesses. Because of these factors, it is not uncommon for people with serious illnesses to have thoughts of suicide sometime during the course of their treatment. The question is whether those thoughts occur at a higher rate in the experimental arm than in the control/placebo arm. 

Some medications do legitimately cause an increase in suicidal ideation. But there are also some where suicidal thoughts are listed as an adverse event, where the drug itself likely doesn't play much of a role.