Temporal changes in suicide rates for persons treated and not treated with antidepressants in Denmark during 1995-1999.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the temporal changes in suicide rate among patients treated with antidepressants with the change in suicide rate among persons who have not been treated with antidepressants during 1995-1999.


METHODS
In a historic prospective national pharmacoepidemiological register linkage study by using four Danish registers we included 438,625 patients who had purchased antidepressants, and compared them with 1,199,057 population based control persons. The annual rate of suicide was estimated using Poisson regression analyses.


RESULTS
The suicide rate decreased for persons treated with antidepressants as well as for persons not treated with antidepressants. The proportion of persons, who committed suicide and who had not been treated with antidepressants decreased. The reduction in suicide rate was more pronounced among persons treated with SSRIs or older antidepressants than among persons not treated with antidepressants.


CONCLUSIONS
Several factors contribute to the decreasing suicide rate. The most pronounced decrease in suicide rate was found among persons treated with antidepressants.
Søndergård
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. l.s@rh.dk
Kvist
K
K
Lopez
A G
AG
Andersen
P K
PK
Kessing
L V
LV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013405:Suicide / Q000639:trends*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors