Psychopharmacological Therapy and Suicide of Inpatients With Depressive Psychoses

Data on the psychopharmacological treatment of inpatients with mono- or bipolar depression were collected over a 12-year period. 33 patients who comitted suicide were compared to 3759 inpatient controls. The percentage of patients receiving neuroleptic treatment was similar in both groups. However, the mean number of prescriptions of neuroleptics was significantly higher for the suicides than for the controls. Lithium was prescribed less frequently & in lower dosage for the suicides. (37 refs.)