Patterns of medicine use in the year prior to death by suicide: an Australian population-based case series study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prescribed medicines are commonly used to treat mental health conditions but are also often implicated in suicide death by poisoning. This was a descriptive study quantifying changes in dispensing and initiation of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics in the year prior to death by suicide.

Methods

In this Australian population-based case series, we used national coronial data linked with dispensing claims for all people ≥10 years who died by suicide (2013-2019). Our primary outcome was change in aggregate weekly medicine dispensing the year before death, quantified using piecewise linear regression stratified by cause of death (medicine poisoning vs other causes). Our secondary outcome was change in medicine initiation rates. This study was perform

SUBMITTER: Schaffer AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11474424 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature