Toxicological findings in suicides – frequency of antidepressant and antipsychotic substances

Abstract

The role of psychoactive substances in the treatment of mental disorders and the risk of suicide are major public health issues. This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of antidepressants and antipsychotics detected in toxicological screenings in suicides. Cases from the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Charité-University Medicine Berlin were reviewed over a 4-year-period. All cases (n = 477) with positive toxicology for antidepressants and antipsychotics in blood or organ tissue were included. Frequencies of the detected substances in non-suicide cases (n = 212; male n = 177, 55.2%; female n = 95, 52.5%) and suicide cases (n = 235; male n = 149, 63.4%; female n = 86, 36.6%) were examined. Tricyclic antidepressants (48.1%) were found most frequently in suicides, followed by atypical neuroleptics (37.0%), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (28.1%), typical neuroleptics (17.4%), tetracyclic antidepressants (16.2%) and other substances (8.9%). Alcohol was detected in 37.2% of suicides. The leading cause of death was drug poisoning (35.6%) followed by polytrauma (26.8%) and death by hanging (18.5%). A mental disorder (depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, suicidality) was known in 22.9% of suicides. The most common location of death was the person's own house (63.8%) followed by public places (28.1%) and hospitals (8.1%) The five most common substances in the suicide group were doxepin (20%) citalopram (15.3%), mirtazapine (14.9%), quetiapine (13.6%) and amitriptyline (12.3%). Toxicological findings from cross-sectional studies provide insight into how often certain types of antidepressants and antipsychotics are associated with suicide. A complementary approach is valuable for assessing the risk of suicide during medical treatment because the various available approaches (analysis of suicidal behavior/ideation, toxicity of drugs) each have strengths and limitations.

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