Self-poisonings with antidepressants and other psychotropics in an urban area of Sweden.
As part of a WHO project on parasuicide, the medications used for self-poisoning in the Stockholm area were studied. The prescribing rates of the medications were estimated from an independent survey of prescriptions. Anxiolytics, hypnotics, and analgesics were the drugs most commonly used for parasuicide. Related to prescribing rates, antipsychotics and anxiolytics represented an increased risk for parasuicide compared to the average for psychotropics. Analgesics, on the other hand, showed a lower risk for parasuicide. The low number of self-poisonings with antidepressants may reflect that suicidal individuals are seldom prescribed antidepressants and/or that antidepressants actually prevent suicidal acts. As we have shown earlier for completed suicides, underprescribing and therapeutic failure seem to be greater problems with antidepressants than their use for self-poisoning.
Isacsson
G
G
Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Family Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
Wasserman
D
D
Bergman
U
U
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000506:poisoning*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000506:poisoning*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013548:Sweden; D014505:Urban Population
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs