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Effect of increased antidepressant prescribing on suicide rate in Northern Ireland

Drug Utilisation Research Unit, The Queen's University of Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL

^* Correspondence

Aims and method To investigate whether changes in antidepressant prescribing have been associated with alteration in suicide rate for the period 1989–1996 in Northern Ireland. Data for antidepressant prescribing were obtained from a central unit, for Northern Ireland, using the defined daily dose system for each of the above years. The number of recorded cases of suicide and undetermined death were also obtained for this period, from Northern Ireland coroners.

Results There was no evidence of an association between suicide rate and antidepressant prescription (r²=0.019, F test=0.115, P=0.74), despite antidepressant use more than tripling over the study period.

Clinical implications Even substantial increases in detection and treatment of depressive illness may not impinge on suicide rate. It is also possible that suicide rate may be a very poor marker of the benefits of antidepressant treatment.