BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown an association between the rates of suicide employing certain types of medications and the availability of those drugs. During recent years, prescription patterns of psychoactive drugs commonly used in suicides have undergone some major changes. This study examines whether altered prescription patterns are associated with changes in the rates of drug-related suicides in the elderly. METHODS: An ecological study was performed, in which rates of suicide by @entity4968 were related to prescription sales of different psychotropic drugs, derived from the National Prescription Survey (1987-1996). RESULTS: @entity1245 were the dominant drug type used by elderly @entity1 who committed suicide by @entity4968 . Rates of suicide using @entity1245 increased despite decreasing prescription sales. Decreasing tricyclic antidepressant sales and increasing SSRI (selective @entity750 reuptake inhibitors) sales were paralleled by decreasing rates of suicides employing antidepressants. The fatality ratio (FR) decreased for the antidepressant group, increased for @entity1245 and remained more or less unchanged for analgesics among the elderly during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of suicide using @entity1245 increased in the elderly despite decreasing prescription sales. @entity1245 should be prescribed restrictively to this age group.

Suicides by XXXX among the elderly in Sweden 1969-1996.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['persons'] @entity1245 :: ('MESH:D001569', 'Chemical') :: ['Benzodiazepines', 'benzodiazepines'] @entity750 :: ('MESH:D012701', 'Chemical') :: ['serotonin'] @entity4968 :: ('MESH:D011041', 'Disease') :: ['drug poisoning']
@entity4968 :: (MESH:D011041,Disease) :: ['drug poisoning']
