@article{ref1,
title="Medication and suicide risk in schizophrenia: A nested case-control study",
journal="Schizophrenia Research",
year="2013",
author="Reutfors, Johan and Bahmanyar, Shahram and Jonsson, Erik G. and Brandt, Lena and Bodén, Robert and Ekbom, Anders and Osby, Urban",
volume="150",
number="2-3",
pages="416-420",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: Patients with schizophrenia are at increased risk of suicide, but data from controlled studies of pharmacotherapy in relation to suicide risk is limited. AIM: To explore suicide risk in schizophrenia in relation to medication with antipsychotics, antidepressants, and lithium. METHODS: Of all patients with a first clinical discharge diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in Stockholm County between 1984 and 2000 (n=4000), patients who died by suicide within five years from diagnosis were defined as cases (n=84; 54% male). Individually matched controls were identified from the same population. Information on prescribed medication was retrieved from psychiatric records in a blinded way. Adjusted odds ratios [OR] of the association between medication and suicide were calculated by conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Lower suicide risk was found in patients who had been prescribed a second generation antipsychotic (clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, or ziprasidone; 12 cases and 20 controls): OR 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.97). When the 6 cases and 8 controls who had been prescribed clozapine were excluded, the OR was 0.23 (95% CI 0.06-0.89). No significant association was observed between suicide and prescription of any antipsychotic, depot injection antipsychotics, antidepressants, SSRI, or lithium. CONCLUSIONS: Lower suicide risk for patients who had been prescribed second generation antipsychotics may be related to a pharmacological effect of these drugs, to differences in adherence, or to differences in other patient characteristics associated with lower suicide risk.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0920-9964",
doi="10.1016/j.schres.2013.09.001",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2013.09.001"
}