Association between psychotropic drug prescription and suicide rates in Scotland: population study

Abstract

Aims and method Rates of prescriptions of antidepressants and suicide are inversely correlated at an epidemiological level. Less attention has been paid to relationships between other drugs used in mental health and suicide rates. Here we tested relationships between prescriptions of anxiolytics and antipsychotics and suicide rates in Scotland. Results Suicide rates were inversely correlated with prescriptions of antidepressants and antipsychotics over 14 years (2004–2018), and positively with prescriptions of anxiolytics. Clinical implications This illustrates the role of medications used in mental health in suicide prevention, and highlights the importance of identifying causal mechanisms that link anxiolytics with suicide.

Association between Prescribing and Intoxication Rates for Selected Psychotropic Drugs: A Longitudinal Observational Study

“…Previous studies have also compared the number of intoxication events with the prescribing rates of psychotropic drugs [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Suicide or suicide attempt rates have been compared to psychotropic prescribing in several countries [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. However, no direct quantitative comparison of the overall risk for intoxication with psychotropic drugs from different groups has been performed in relation to their prescribing rates.…”