TY - JOUR PY - 2005// TI - Suicide in 406 mood-disorder patients with and without long-term medication: a 40 to 44 years' follow-up JO - Archives of suicide research A1 - Angst, J. A1 - Angst, Felix A1 - Gerber-Werder, Regina A1 - Gamma, A. SP - 279 EP - 300 VL - 9 IS - 3 N2 - 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. LA - en SN - 1381-1118 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13811110590929488 ID - ref1 ER -