BMJ  2003;327:288 (2 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7409.288-a

Letter

Antidepressant prescribing and suicide

Associations attribute possible causality inappropriately

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Hall et al say that reductions in suicide rates in older people in Australia could be attributed to their increased exposure to antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.1 But the associations seem to attribute possible causality inappropriately.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, suicide rates in people over the age of 40 in Australia have gradually reduced since 1961-5, the peak period of suicide deaths for these age groups since the great depression.2 This is true for each five year age group from age 40 years. In most age groups, the greatest reduction occurred in the period before 1990. For example, in 1961-5 suicide rates in men aged 45-9 were 34.9 per 100 000 and in men aged 50-4 39.4 per 100 000. In 1986-90 rates had dropped to 23.5 per 100 000 and 24.7 per 100 000 respectively. By 1996-2000 the rate had dropped to . . . [Full text of this article]

Brian M Draper, conjoint associate professor

University of New South Wales, Sydney Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia b.draper@unsw.edu.au


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Relevant Article

Association between antidepressant prescribing and suicide in Australia, 1991-2000: trend analysis
Wayne D Hall, Andrea Mant, Philip B Mitchell, Valerie A Rendle, Ian B Hickie, and Peter McManus
BMJ 2003 326: 1008. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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