Suicide by Antidepressant Intoxication Identified at Autopsy in Vienna From 1991-1997: the Favourable Consequences of the Increasing use of SSRIs

This study examined fatal suicidal drug intoxications in Vienna during 1991-1997 when selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were establishing themselves on the market. Tricyclic antidepressants were involved in 30 single- & 127 multiple-substance intoxications. SSRIs were involved in five multiple-substance intoxications. The f-value, the number of deaths per million defined daily doses prescribed, was significantly higher in tricyclic antidepessants than in SSRIs. The f-value for the total group of antidepressants declined significantly during the observation period. SSRIs turned out to be less toxic than tricyclic antidepressants & the increasing use of new antidepressants did not coincide with an increased number of deaths caused by these drugs. (68 refs.)