Citation

Mainio A, Kuusisto L, Hakko H, Riipinen P. Nord. J. Psychiatry 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08039488.2020.1847323

PMID

33215967

Abstract

AIM: This study examined the trend and role of antipsychotics as a method of self-poisoning suicide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The basic data covered 483 poisoning suicides, occurring between the years 1988 and 2011, in Northern Finland, of which 178 (115 men, 63 women) were completed using antipsychotics.

RESULTS: During the 23-year follow-up period, second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) overtook first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) as a suicide method. Female victims, compared to males, had more commonly used quetiapine (17.5% vs. 6.1%, p = .016), while suicides using promazine were more common in males compared to females (36.5% vs. 22.2%, p = .049). People with unipolar depression had more frequently used SGAs (40.0%) or a combination of SGAs and FGAs (12.5%) than FGAs (19.2%) (p = .019) in their suicides.

CONCLUSION: The use of SGAs in suicides is becoming increasingly common, which calls for further studies.

Language: en

Keywords

Antipsychotics;; poisoning;; promazine; quetiapine;; suicide;