THE INFLUENCE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS IN OVERDOSE ON THE INCREASED SUICIDE RATE IN IRELAND BETWEEN 1971 AND 1988

There has been almost a threefold increase in the incidence of suicide in Ireland during the past 20 years. When each case occurring between 1971 and 1 988 was reviewed, the major causes of death were found to be drowning and hanging. Deliberate overdoses with tricyclic antidepressants accounted for less than 4% of all suicides, over the 17 years studied, and during this time, overdose with tricyclics has made a proportionately smaller contribution to the total number of suicides. Greater attention should be paid to identifying and treating the majority of suicidal patients who are at risk by other methods.