The paper is concerned with the greater risk of self-poisoning & completed suicide in the use of the older tricyclic antidepressant drugs by the depressed patient. It defines the factors which must be taken into account when undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of an antidepressant drug in addition to its efficacy & concludes that there would appear to be every reason for considering the replacement of older tricyclic antidepressants with newer non-tricyclic drugs in the 1st line of treatment.