%0 Journal Article
%T Suicide in 406 mood-disorder patients with and without long-term medication: a 40 to 44 years' follow-up
%J Archives of suicide research
%D 2005
%A Angst, J.
%A Angst, Felix
%A Gerber-Werder, Regina
%A Gamma, A.
%V 9
%N 3
%P 279-300
%X There is no data on the variation in the suicide risk over lifetime and on the suicide-preventive effect of the long-term treatment of mood-disorder patients with antidepressants and neuroleptics. Our research focused on 186 unipolar (D), 60 bipolar II (Dm), 130 nuclear bipolar I (MD), and 30 preponderantly manic patients (M/Md); that were followed-up from 1963 to 2003. By 2003, 45 (11.1%) of the 406 patients had committed suicide. Suicide rates were highest among D patients (Standardized Mortality Ratio, SMR = 26.4), MD (SMR = 13.6), Dm (SMR = 10.6) and lowest among M/Md patients (SMR = 4.7). Prospectively, the suicide rate decreased over the 44 years' follow-up; Lithium, neuroleptics and antidepressants reduced suicides significantly. Long-term treatment also reduced overall mortality, and combined treatments proved more effective than mono-therapy.
%G en
%I Informa - Taylor and Francis Group
%@ 1381-1118
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13811110590929488