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Fall in elderly suicides linked to rise in
anti-depressants
By Ben
Wyld Sydney Morning Herald, May
10 2003 A
fall in suicide rates among older Australians has been linked in a new
study to a sharp rise in the rate of prescriptions for anti-depressants. But
the authors of the report, which examined figures for 1991 to 2000, deny
the findings send a pro-prescription message. Ian
Hickie, co-author of the study and CEO of beyondblue, the national
depression initiative, said while anti-depressant prescriptions had risen
300 per cent in the period, drug data provided the best indication that
doctors were managing psychological problems more effectively. "This
is not simply a drug effect," Professor Hickie said. "With
additional training in mental health, doctors can use specific
psychological services . . . and there's more appropriate referral for
non-drug treatments." The study,
published in the British Medical Journal, grouped data by gender in
10-year age groups. The authors found that "the largest declines in
suicide occurred in the age groups with the highest exposure to
anti-depressants". For
men aged 75-84, who on average received between 40 and 50 anti-depressant
doses a day per 1000 people, the suicide rate declined by eight for every
100,000 people. For men over the age of 85, the suicide rate dropped by
more than six per 100,000 people. A
similar but less marked trend was found with women who were found to
receive more doses than men. For
women aged 75-84 who received, on average, between 70 and 80
anti-depressant doses a day per 1000 people, the suicide rate declined by
just over two per 100,000 people. However,
for both men and women, the suicide rates for those aged 24-44 rose. Co-author
Andrea Mant, from the University of NSW, said the findings suggested there
was a greater awareness of depression among the elderly and that doctors
were more willing to prescribe newer and better tolerated anti-depressant
drugs. Dr
Mant said the increased rates of suicide for younger people could be
explained by their reluctance to visit their doctor, and unwillingness to
recognise depression as a medical problem. "There
shouldn't be an emphasis on prescribing more, but more of an emphasis on
young people going to the doctor," she said. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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