Sedatives and suicide: the San Diego study

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Clinical observations suggest frequent sedative-hypnotic use in suicides.
• Limited data exist on the demographics of suicide victims using these medications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the demographics and drug use patterns of suicide victims.
• To investigate the prevalence of anxiolytics, hypnotics, antidepressants, and alcohol in suicide cases.

Main Methods:

• Toxicological examinations were conducted on over 90% of 204 consecutive suicide cases in San Diego County (1981-1982).
• Drug detection included anxiolytics, hypnotics, antidepressants, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and alcohol.
• Demographic data and psychiatric history (major depression) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Drugs were detected in 68% of subjects; anxiolytics (10.7%) and hypnotics (12.3%) were common.
• Women were over 4 times more likely than men to test positive for anxiolytics or hypnotics.
• Benzodiazepines were found in one-third of suicide-by-overdose cases, despite lower overall prevalence compared to barbiturates.

Conclusions:

• Sedative-hypnotic use is significant in suicide, particularly among women.
• Benzodiazepines play a critical role in suicide by overdose.
• Further research is needed to understand the specific role of these substances in suicide demographics.