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Risk of repeated suicide attempt after redeeming prescriptions for antidepressants: a register-based study in Denmark

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2022

Sarah Grube Jakobsen ,
Christina Petrea Larsen ,
Elsebeth Stenager  and
Erik Christiansen Open the ORCID record for Erik Christiansen [Opens in a new window]
Sarah Grube Jakobsen
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Research, Odense, Denmark Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
Christina Petrea Larsen
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Research, Odense, Denmark
Elsebeth Stenager
Affiliation:
Unit for Psychiatric Research, Department of Regional Health Services Research, University of Southern Denmark, Aabenraa, Denmark
Erik Christiansen*
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Research, Odense, Denmark Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark Unit for Psychiatric Research, Department of Regional Health Services Research, University of Southern Denmark, Aabenraa, Denmark
*
Author for correspondence: Erik Christiansen, E-mail: echristiansen@health.sdu.dk
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Abstract

Background

It remains unclear how SSRIs and other antidepressants are associated with the risk of repeated suicide attempts. We aimed to analyse the association between redeemed antidepressant prescriptions and the risk of repeated suicide attempts, hypothesising that antidepressant treatment is associated with increased risk of repeated suicide attempts.

Methods

The study was based on Danish register data and a validated cohort of 1842 suicide attempts. We used three Cox regression models (crude, adjusted and propensity score matched) to analyse the data; these models included both static and dynamic time-dependent factors.

Results

1842 individuals attempted suicide in the study period, with a total of 210 repeated attempts. Individuals redeeming antidepressant prescriptions were more likely to repeat a suicide attempt. All crude models showed all antidepressants to be significant risk factors (HR around 1.39), whereas all adjusted models showed all antidepressants to be insignificant risk factors.

Conclusion

We found no significant increased risk of repeated suicide attempts in individuals redeeming a prescription for any antidepressant (or only SSRIs) when considering the individuals' baseline risk of repetition. This study is based on validated suicide attempts, register data, and strong epidemiology designs, but it still has some limitations, and the results should be replicated and confirmed in other studies.

Keywords

Antidepressive agentsattemptedpsychopharmacologyregistriesrisk factorssuicide
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 53 , Issue 12 , September 2023 , pp. 5510 - 5517
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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