From the article:
Studies have shown that areas in which antidepressant use among young people is widespread have experienced a dip in teenage suicide rates; according to Dr. John Mann, a suicide expert at Columbia University, fewer than 20 percent of the 4,000 adolescents who commit suicide in America each year are taking or have ever taken antidepressants. ''It would be ludicrous to think that antidepressants could actually contribute to suicide in the United States in any kind of significant way,'' Mann told me. ''The vast majority of teen suicides are actually committed in the absence of antidepressants.''
Actually that stat is meaningless. It is the relative rate that is an issue. Children who take antidepressant do kill themselves at a higher rate. It has been argued and denied for years. Now the major drug companies are putting warnings on their product. Irrational and homocidal behavior is next.
Re: Your quote from the article from Dr. John Mann:
In the interest of full disclosure, Dr. Joseph John Mann of Columbia is a paid consultant and expert witness in court cases for both Glaxo and Pfizer. Dr. Mann testified on behalf of Glaxo in the Schell case mentioned in this article. It's the only case lost at trial over this issue.
Dr. Mann has also received funding from Eli Lilly to promote the safety of antidepressants.