Citation

Allgulander C, Brandt L, Allebeck P. Am. J. Addict. 1994; 3(3): 236-240.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1521-0391.1994.tb00239.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The risk of suicide among patients hospitalized because of dependence on prescribed psychoactive medications was estimated among all 1,537 such patients in Stockholm, Sweden, over an 8‐year period. The suicide standardized mortality ratio was 41.0 among the women and 45.6 among the men who were dependent on such medications alone. It was of a similar magnitude (50.4 and 30.6) among women and men with concurrent alcohol/street‐drug abuse. Among all deaths, 38% were suicides. Primary and secondary psychiatric disorders were common. To reduce the suicide risk, professional treatment intervention should entail thorough diagnostic assessment, behavioral/cognitive therapy, and a judicious use of psychoactive medications for anxiety, affective, and personality disorders. 1994 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; suicide; female; male; alcoholism; anxiety; article; major clinical study; prescription; barbituric acid derivative; personality disorder; behavior therapy; opiate; psychotropic agent; drug dependence; hypnotic agent; sedative agent