[Characteristics of the choice of psychotropic drugs in suicide attempts]

Abstract

Review of results of Pecs centre in WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour.

Objective: Studies concerning the choice of methods and psychotropics in the suicidal acts have a great importance because the outcome of suicides is decisively determined by the potential lethality of the method. In the sample of patients who attempted suicides, the features of overdoses have been investigated as well as their relations to the age, sex and repetition.

Method: Within the framework of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour data, 1158 cases with suicide attempts were collected from 1997 to 2001.

Results: Among methods of suicide attempts the most frequents were overdoses, while cutting, and hanging were more rarely, and alcohol consumption associated with 15% of attempts. Psychotropics were found in three-quarters of overdoses. A more detailed analysis of the methods used by suicidal patients shows that benzodiazepines represented almost two-thirds of all the drugs taken followed by meprobamate, carbamazepine and antidepressants. Repeaters used frequently antidepressants, antipsychotics, carbamazepine, while benzodiazepines and meprobamate poisoning were rather typical of first-ever group.

Conclusion: Considerable differences in the use of psychotropics for parasuicide related to gender, age and repetition were found. The results suggest, that the features of overdoses may be in connection with the availability of drugs and the special national characteristics of drug-prescribing. The differences of repeaters may reflect the insufficiency of the mental health care system. The authors emphasize the importance of these facts among the possibilities of prevention.