[The value of psychotropic drugs in treatment of suicidal behavior]

There is no doubt about the importance of psychopharmacological medication--antidepressants, neuroleptics, tranquilizer--in the treatment of severe mentally ill people. In the last years there are a lot of publications dealing with psychopharmacological treatment of suicidal crises. Recently a few number of reports discuss the promotion of suicidality during or after start of antidepressant therapy. In this paper psychopharmacological medication, especially antidepressant medication is discussed according to suicide prevention or promotion. The author differentiate between acute suicidal crisis and long term treatment of an underlying mental illness and recommend in acute crisis treatment with benzodiazepines and sedating neuroleptics supplying adequate basic treatment. Uptonow to part of psychopharmaca in the treatment of suicidal patients remains uncertain.