Citation

Kerwin RW, Bolonna AA. Expert Rev. Neurother. 2004; 4(2): 187-190.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Future Science Group)

DOI

10.1586/14737175.4.2.187

PMID

15853559

Abstract

Suicide accounts for approximately 10% of patient deaths in schizophrenia. The atypical antipsychotic clozapine (Clozaril), successful in treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia, may have an additional antisuicidal effect. Numerous published reports, including the collaborative International Suicide Prevention Trial, have compared mortality rates between clozapine recipients and patients receiving other forms of antipsychotic treatment and observed a significant reduction in patient risk for suicide with clozapine therapy. Preliminary reports indicate improvements in suicidality in schizophrenia patients treated with other modern atypical antipsychotics, for example olanzapine [Zyprexa], risperidone [Risperdal] and sertindole [Serdolect], but further investigation is required to clarify their role as antisuicidal drugs. It has been estimated that 53 suicides in treatment-resistant patients could have been prevented by clozapine, but the number of lives saved may be significantly higher if clozapine therapy was extended to treatment responders at a high risk for suicide.

Language: en

Keywords

Antipsychotic Agents; Clinical Trials as Topic; Clozapine; Humans; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia; Suicide