Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:52:21.292Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Antidepressant prescribing and suicide rate in Northern Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Christopher B Kelly ,
Tanzeel Ansari ,
Thérèse Rafferty  and
Mike Stevenson
Christopher B Kelly*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, BelfastBT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
Tanzeel Ansari
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, BelfastBT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
Thérèse Rafferty
Affiliation:
Regional Prescribing Information Unit, Department of Therapeutics and Pharmacology, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, BelfastBT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
Mike Stevenson
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Riddel Hall, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, UK
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (C.B. Kelly).
Get access

Abstract

Purpose

Although antidepressants are the most commonly used treatment for depressive illness, there is uncertainty if their use is associated with a reduction in suicide rate. Antidepressant prescribing in Northern Ireland has increased over fivefold in the decade 1989–1999. The authors sought to explore whether this increase was associated with a reduction in suicide rate taking into account social and political factors thought also to have an influence on suicide.

Materials and methods

Factors that have been suggested to influence suicide were entered into a linear regression with frequency of suicide and undetermined deaths (referred to as suicide rate) as the dependent variable. The above factors were antidepressant prescribing, unemployment rate, household alcohol expenditure and persons charged with terrorist offences. The rise in younger suicides, in recent decades, suggests this analysis should be carried out separately for younger (less than 30 years) and older (30 years and above) suicides separately. The predictors in the two models are based on aggregate data for the total group.

Result

In the younger group there was no association between antidepressant prescribing and suicide. For the older group increased antidepressant prescribing was associated with a reduction in suicide rate over the 10 years of the study.

Conclusion

Increasing antidepressant prescribing appears to be an effective strategy for reducing suicide. This has been demonstrated in older individuals.

Keywords

SuicideAntidepressantsUnemployment
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 18 , Issue 7 , November 2003 , pp. 325 - 328
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barbui, CCampomani, AD’Avanzo, BNegri, EGorattini, S. Antidepressant drug use in Italy since the introduction of the SSRI’s: national trends, regional differences and impact on suicide rates. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1999;34:152–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cantor, C. Suicide in the western world. In: Hawton, K, et al., International handbook of suicide and attempted suicide. Chichester: Wiley; 2000. p. 9–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlson, GARich, CLGrayson, PFowler, RC. Secular trends in psychiatric diagnoses of suicide victims. J Affect Disord 1991;21:127–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cornwell, YDuberstein, PRCox, CHerrman, JHForbes, NTCaine, ED. Relationship of age and axis I diagnoses in victims of completed suicide: a psychological autopsy study. Am J Psychiatry 1996;153:1001–8.Google Scholar
Foster, TGillespie, KMcClelland, RPatterson, C. Risk factors for suicide independent of DSM-III-R Axis I disorder. Case control psychological autopsy study in Northern Ireland. Br J Psychiatry 1999;175:175–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foster, T. Dying for a drink. Br Med J 2001;323:817–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Isacsson, GBergman, URich, CL. Epidemiological data suggests antidepressants reduce suicide risk among depressives. J Affect Disord 1996;41:1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Isacsson, G. Suicide prevention—a medical breakthrough? Acta Psychiatr Scand 2000;102:113–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katon, Wvan Korff, MLin, E, et al. Stepped collaborative care for primary care patients with persistent symptoms of depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999;56:1109–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kupinski, JTiller, JWGBurrows, GDHallenstein, H. Youth suicide in Victoria: a retrospective study. Med J Aust 1994;160:113–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linsley, KRSchapira, KKelly, TP. Open verdict v suicide—importance to research. Br J Psychiatry 2001;178:465–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyons, HA. Depressive illness and aggression in Belfast. Br Med J 1972;1:342–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oydvin, KKristinnson, A. Guidelines for DDD. World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology; 1991.Google Scholar
Platt, SHawton, K, Suicidal behaviour and the labour market. In: Hawton, K. et al., International handbook of suicide and attempted suicide. Chichester: Wiley; 2000. p. 309–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Platt, SMicciolo, RTansella, M. Suicide and unemployment in Italy: description, analysis and interpretation of recent trends. Soc Sci Med 1992;34:1191–201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rich, CLIsacsson, G. Suicide and antidepressants in South Alabama: evidence for improved treatment of depression. J Affect Disord 1997;45:135–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rihmer, Z. Can better recognition and treatment of depression reduce suicide rates? A brief review. Eur Psychiatry 2001;16:406–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutz, WVan Knorring, LWalinder, J. Long-term effect of an educational programme for general practitioners given by the Swedish Committee for the Prevention and Treatment of Depression. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1992;85:83–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tondo, LBaldessarini, RJHernen, JFlavis, GSilvetti, FTohen, M. Lithium treatment and risk of suicidal behaviour in bipolar disorder patients. J Clin Psychiatry 1998;59:405–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.