Related Experiment Videos
Psychotropic prescriptions and elderly suicide rates
Lubbaba Mahmood Lodhi1, Ajit Shah
1Ealing Site, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Medicine, Science, and the Law
|August 7, 2004
Summary
Elderly suicide rates in England and Wales declined alongside changes in psychotropic prescribing. Increased use of antidepressants and antipsychotics correlated with lower suicide rates, while MAOIs and sedatives showed the opposite trend.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Observed decline in elderly suicide rates in England and Wales.
- Significant shifts in psychotropic medication prescribing patterns globally.
- Need to investigate the potential link between these trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between declining elderly suicide rates and changes in psychotropic prescribing in England and Wales (1985-1996).
- To identify specific psychotropic drug classes correlated with elderly suicide trends.
Main Methods:
- Utilized annual mortality statistics for suicide rates in the elderly (1985-1996).
- Obtained psychotropic prescription data from the Department of Health's Statistic Division (SD1E).
- Employed Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rho) to analyze relationships.
Main Results:
- Significant negative correlation found between tricyclic antidepressants/SSRIs, antimanics/antipsychotics, and analgesics prescriptions with elderly suicide rates.
- Significant positive correlation observed between monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), hypnotics, anxiolytics, and barbiturates prescriptions with elderly suicide rates.
- Overall, trends in psychotropic prescribing were significantly associated with the decline in elderly suicides.
Conclusions:
- Prescribing patterns of psychotropic medications appear to be a significant factor in the decline of elderly suicide rates in England and Wales.
- The study highlights the complex interplay of medication use and suicide trends, emphasizing the need to consider broader health and social factors.