BACKGROUND Antidepressant prescribing has been increasing in England. Studies in other countries suggest that while this may be associated with reduced suicide rates, it may also be associated with increased fatal poisoning from antidepressant drugs. We therefore conducted an ecological study to assess the association between prescription rates for antidepressants and suicide or fatal antidepre...

Introduction Suicide is a complex and multicausal phenomenon. It has a strong association with mental disorders, particularly major depressive disorder. Suicidal behaviors (both fatal and non-fatal) in patients with mood disorders are determined by their severity. Suicidal acts likely occur during depressive episodes, less often during mixed states, and very rarely in hypomania. However, the pr...

Durkheim's classical theory of suicide rates being a negative index of social solidarity downplays the salience of gendered concerns in suicide. But gendered inequalities have had a negative impact: worldwide significantly more men than women perpetrate fatal suicides. Drawing on narratives of 52 fatal suicides in Bushbuckridge, South Africa, this article suggests that Bourdieu's concepts of 's...

BACKGROUND Choice of suicide method strongly influences the outcome of an attempt. Public knowledge of possible methods is an important but less frequently considered aspect of the accessibility of suicide. This qualitative study explored the sources of information shaping the near-fatal suicide attempts of 22 individuals. METHODS Respondents were recruited from nine hospitals in England. Sem...

BACKGROUND There has been a marked rise in suicide by charcoal burning (CB) in some East Asian countries but little is known about its incidence in mainland China. We examined media-reported CB suicides and the availability of online information about the method in mainland China. METHODS We extracted and analyzed data for i) the characteristics and trends of fatal and nonfatal CB suicides re...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are associated with an increased risk of suicide related outcomes in adults. DESIGN Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of SSRIs compared with placebo in adults submitted by pharmaceutical companies to the safety review of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). P...

Suicide rates are generally elevated after episodes of non-fatal self-harm, especially among older adults. Evidence suggests that non-fatal and fatal self-harm are more closely related in older than in younger adults. Older people who have self-harmed need specialist assessment followed by good short-term and long-term evidence-based care.

Suicide by means of a motor vehicle occurs more frequently than is generally realized, and may be difficult to prove. Suicide by other means while driving a motor vehicle is far less frequent. Only two cases of suicide by gunshot while driving an automobile have been previously, and recently, reported. The author reports two additional cases of suicide by gunshot while driving a motor vehicle. ...

Of 2,143 admissions following suicide attempts over a seven year period (1980-1986) in Seoul, Korea, there were 38 cases (1.8%) of suicide by burning. These cases were matched by age and sex with a control group of suicide attempts in general and were investigated for psychosocial differences from other suicide attempters. No significant differences were found in social factors such as educatio...

The high rate of fatal suicidal behavior (SB) in men is an urgent issue as highlighted in the public eye via news sources and media outlets. In this study, we have attempted to address this issue and understand the neural substrates underlying the gender differences in the rate of fatal SB. The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide has proposed an explanation for the seemingly paradoxic...