Brief Communication: Tricyclics – The Most Common Agent Used in Potentially Lethal Overdoses

53 cases of serious drug overdose were studied. Tricyclic antidepressants were used in nearly 50% of the cases while barbiturates accounted for only 20%. This finding suggested a change in drug usage patterens & emphasized the potential danger of tricyclics. Also, intentional overdoses were nonconcomitant with psychiatric disorder, based on feighner’criteria for affective disorder. This suggested that impulsive, obvious manipulative intent does not negate potential seriousness of a attempt.